To Live Again
by IT Bluebead TI
Summary: Six new names, six new lives, that are all being thorn up for a forgotten past. A man who carries a big loss only wants to bring his loved ones home. Six lost teens in search for their true identity, not knowing the risks of being born again.  PPGxRRB.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, you crazy people out there! ;D**

**I've been meaning to write this a long time now, but I kind of hate how it turned out.  
>Please review, I'd like to hear what you think of it.<br>Aaaanyways, this story is about the PPG and RRB AFTER they joined forces.  
>They're all teenagers by the way.<br>Please, pay no attention to the names I gave them, they're kind of lame - -'**

**I don't own the Powerpuff Girls. They're owned by Craig McCracken.**

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><p>"<em>Happy are those who dream dreams and are ready to pay the price to make them come true."<em>_"  
>-<em>Leon Joseph Suenens<em>-_

Chapter one:

He remembers so well, like it was only yesterday…

_In little streams the rain flowed off of professor Utonium's face. A grimace was spread across his mouth and he narrowed his eyes while he tried to keep the gigantic flying craft in balance. His sweat drops meddled with the rain. Anxiously, he glanced around, trying to find any signs of his daughters and their friends. He could faintly hear shouting and the sound of moving metal through the stormy wind. With the greatest effort, he managed to regain control over the craft.  
><em>_"Blossom! Bubbles! Buttercup! Where are you?"  
>But his voice got lost in the wild winds and clashing lightning. He narrowed his eyes, unable to see further than five meters maximum. He could only make out faint streaks of red, blue and green chasing through the air before him.<em>

_"GIRLS!"_

_Suddenly, his eldest daughter, Blossom, came flying towards him. Her clothes were soaked, wet strands of hair danced loosely as she moved, her eyes were filled with tire as well as determination._  
><em>"Professor!," she called out, "We're going to take it down! We're moving on to plan B."<em>  
><em>John Utonium's eyes widened.<em>

Oh God, please! Not plan B!  
><em><br>"No! Darling, there has to be another way!" The redheaded leader of the Powerpuff Girls shook her head sadly.  
>"No, professor... There isn't. This is our only chance..."<br>She smiled faintly at him, "We knew this could happen. We've prepared everything."  
>"But what if it fails?" the grown-up man wept, "What if it doesn't work? What'll I do?" <em>

_The pink-eyed girl flied up to her creator and father and took him into a tight hug. He clung onto her, afraid of what would happen if he let go.  
>Even through the hard winds and the heavy rain, he heard her mutter, "It won't fail. We will stop this thing. It's now or never. This is our final stand, the Powerpuff Girls' final battle."<em>

John sobbed softly while the girl in his arms too couldn't hold back her tears any longer.  
>"Oh honey", he said between sniffs, "I love you three so much."<br>"We know," Blossom whispered back.

_After one last kiss on her forehead, John let go, desperately trying to ignore the pain in his heart.  
>She looked back one last time and shouted, "Whatever happens dad, we'll be back! I promise!", before she disappeared into the mist again.<em>

John stayed behind, tears streaming down his face. For a few seconds, it remained silent, except for the never-ending sounds that the storm was making. Suddenly, he saw a small spark of colorful light: a combination of shades of red, blue and green, all mixed together to form a bolt of energy. It slowly grew, and suddenly, it exploded, engulfing everything in a blinding light. He shut his eyes. When the light faded, John opened his eyes again and looked up to see that the mist was gone and the rain had become a drizzle. In the distance, he saw the ruins of a metal fight-robot. In the distance lied the a gigantic aircraft, that had caught fire. No one else was in sight. Nowhere. He felt how his tears started pouring down again. Everything started to blur and his lip started trembling uncontrollably. Then John let out a horrifying scream, full of sorrow and despair and, most of all, loss…

And now they are gone. John Utonium rubs his eyes as the painful memory tortures his mind. It was remarkable that something that happened so long ago could still make him feel so emotionally upset. He was beginning to lose hope. _But I have to keep on hoping_, he encourages himself inwardly, _Blossom knew what she was doing. And if she says they'll return, then they will. I have.. to keep on.. hoping…_ A tear slides down the curves of his jaw and falls down on the oak desk. The first one is soon being followed by others.  
><em>Whatever happens dad, we'll be back! I promise!<em>  
>He keeps on recalling Blossom's last words in his head, until he's almost drowning in his own sorrow.<p>

_Beep_

Professor Utonium is popped out of his thoughts the moment the computer in front of him makes a small sound. He stares intently at the screen in front of him, on which a world map is projected.

_Beep...Beep...Beep..._

A small dark blue dot lights up on the map, somewhere around San Francisco, California. John immediately jolts up, his desk chair falling to the ground in the process. His eyes are staring at the little beeping dot. Was he dreaming? No! This was real! This was what he had been hoping for, for the past 14 years!  
>He rapidly types in some orders in the computer and when after some time coordinates start to appear on the screen, he lets out a scream of utter joy, raising his fists in the air.<p>

"I did it, girls! I did it!" he shouts excitedly, "It's only a matter of time now!"  
>Taking one last glance at the screen, he pushes the button on the intercom.<br>"Miss Bellum? Gather our team. We have a go!" The woman on the other end of the line lets out a delighted shriek and immediately starts contacting the right people.  
><em>Finally<em>, John smiles to himself, _We'll finally be together once more. A lot needs to be done and it'll take time.. But at long last, I have found them back! I found my girls._

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><p><em>A young girl is walking through a silver forest. Oddly enough, it's completely quiet, except for her hollow steps on the moist grass. As she walks further, the beautiful forest suddenly colors a dark black. The sky turns to grey and the grass withers. Panic and unease fill the girl's heart and she starts running. The sound of footsteps behind her, makes her run even faster.<br>Then, out of nowhere, an open space looms up from behind the dark oak trees. Right in the middle of it, she halts and turns around, shaking in fear. _

_"Who's there?" she asks with trembling voice, but she receives no response. She starts taking steps back, when suddenly, she bumps into something. Two cold claws immediately grab her from behind and keep an iron grip on her arms. She screams in fear. Shakily, she turns her head to see a dark creature with only red eyes for a face and dark clothing looking down at her. His metal claws for hands are dripping with blood. Her blood.  
>"I will kill you," his metal voice hisses through her soft, red hair, "I will kill you, AND your.. sisters."<br>"NO! STOP!", she screams and tries to brake free. _

_Suddenly, the creature's gone and she falls down into a black hole. She comes down on a hard floor, but feels no pain. Lookin up, she lets out a scream when she sees two girls lying on the ground before her. One has blonde hair, worn in two pigtails. Her dull, crystal blue eyes stare into space, no longer holding any life. The other one is a raven-haired girl. Her lemon green eyes are as dull as her companion's and she has cuts and bruises all over her body. Their dresses are covered in blood. The redheaded girl gulps. She somehow seems to recognize the people in front of her, but she can't place it.  
>When she stands up, the creature's suddenly back and within a mere blink, he's lifting her off the ground, his claw locked around her tender neck. She gasps for air but can find none. He brings her closer and his voice resounds through the air like an echo through the mountains: <em>

_"They're dead… Your sisters are dead… Now it's your turn… I will destroy all of you… I will destroy you… destroy you… destroy.."_

_T__he creature lets out a wicked laugh. A tear streams down the girl's face, but she doesn't know if it's from the fear of dying or from her grief towards the two girls. With a small sob, she prepares herself for the blow. But none of that ever comes, because suddenly, a bright light fills the area. The two corpses instantly disappear and the creature screams in pain, dropping her to the floor. Before she makes touch with the ground, two strong arms embrace her. She smiles, expecting him. She looks up into his warm, crimson red eyes, who are half-covered by his long, red hair.  
>"I will protect you," his voice whispers quietly, before planting a tender kiss on her lips.<em>

Kaitlin wakes up with a jolt. Sitting straight up in her pink bed, she puts one hand to her chest, still panting form the intense experience. Her soft brown eyes stay focused on the opposite wall, slowly slimming back to their normal size. When after some minutes her heartbeat has slowed down to its normal pace, she lies back, releasing a sigh. She's been having that same dream for years now, ever since she turned 14. It never ceases to frighten her. She glances at the red numbers of her alarm clock. _5.13 am_. She turns on her other side and faces her window while closing her eyes. As she slowly sinks into a peaceful, dreamless sleep, one thought stays behind in the endlessness of her mind:  
><em>Why do I keep seeing faces?<em>

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><p>Tyler rubs his arms as the chill air tingles his skin. December mornings always were so damn cold. With one hand, he goes through his long, red hair and puts it into a messy ponytail. His hot breath forms a little cloud when it comes in contact with the cold atmosphere. His crimson red eyes look down at the small pink dot on the compact screen he's holding. <em>Target location not found<em>, it reads, while the small piece of high-tech repeatedly scans the area. The redheaded boy sighs. He slowly stands up from his sitting position on top of the roof of one of the many average houses around. The radar keeps on beeping generally. He looks at his wristwatch. _6.23 am._ _Great_, he rolls his eyes, _More than an hour since I last picked up a signal. This thing's just broken!_ Releasing a growl, he ticks on the little screen of the radar. He shakes his head. _It's no use.. If she were here I would've surveyed something already. Guess we can scrap Northern England then._ Tyler breathes out a small flame of fire to warm his hands. He still got to get used to this new powers of his.

Today, exactly six months ago, Tyler had been contacted by a man who called himself John Utonium. It was back in his home in Sioux Falls, South-Dakota, that the man in question had called him. He claimed to know something about Tyler's strange deviation (he had RED eyes and an unusual muscle-mass… what's not weird about that?) and urged a meeting with him. Tyler, being the cautious person he was, didn't apply to this at first. But then weird things started happening. He felt being watched as he made his way to school, he got strange calls where no one answered and at times, he heard someone creep around the house. It was only when his aunt and uncle (who took him in when he had lost his parents) had disappeared, that he had taken the strange facts serious. He received the news on a Thursday evening. His adopted parents were running late and he had begun to worry. Around 10 o'clock, he had received a phone call…

_I picked up the phone, hoping to hear my uncle's voice saying they had a flat tire and were coming home within a few hours. But my hope was shattered, when I heard a heavy, metallic voice on the line.  
>"Come with us," it resounded through the horn, "Come with us if you ever want to see your aunt and uncle again."<br>Tyler balled his fists, not believing what the voice said. His heart started racing rapidly in his chest. However, his mind quickly took back the control. _

_"What do you want with me?" he asked in a low voice.  
>It remained quiet for a moment, until <em>it_ spoke again.  
>"A car is waiting outside", at this Tyler shoved one of the curtains aside with his right hand, seeing a black car parked outside and he narrowed his eyes, "Get in if you want to see your family again."<br>He heard a click and the tone that followed made clear that the other person had hung up._

_Tyler didn't hesitate a single moment and rushed outside. When he got to the car, a man dressed in black opened the door for him. He glanced back for one instant and then got in the passenger seat. It was obviously a trap (he wasn't stupid, ya know). But he didn't have much of a choice… The man closed the door and walked over to the driver's seat and got in. He turned on the engine and pulled the car of the drive-way._

_The trip was short. The road led through a dark wood and up into the hills, until they finally came upon an open space. A person who had been waiting for them opened Tyler's door and motioned him to follow. The moment the passenger door was closed, the car drove off again. The boy followed his guide into a big, science base-looking building, complete with dish antennas and security cameras. It looked rather futuristic, not even from this world.  
>Stepping through one of the many doors, Tyler came upon what looked like a throne chamber. A dark person with blood red eyes, sitting on a huge armchair, motioned him to come closer. Tyler did as he was told and once he came to a hold, he couldn't hold in his anger any longer. <em>

_"Where is my family?" he shouted, crossing his arms._  
><em>The creature merely let out a hollow chuckle. "You are a feisty one, yeeees. But tranquility is what you must learn."<em>

_A nod of his head and suddenly, four guards jumped on top of the surprised boy. He delivered some major punches, but in the end, he was no match. While two of the guards held him up, another punched him in the stomach, making him double over and gasp for air._

_The creature let out a wicked laugh, "Nowww, it is time for you to rest."  
>Groaning in pain, the redheaded boy cracked open an eye, only to widen them as he saw one of the other guards walk up to him with a small needle containing some dark orange liquid. He struggled fiercely, but two other guards joined their comrades and bared his arm. The boy winced as he felt the small needle pierce his skin and the stinging liquid enter his blood veins. His limps suddenly got very heavy and his head ached like hell. He sank to his knees, eyes still concentrated on the dark creature.<br>"Now sleeeep, young Brick," he heard him hiss, "Sleeeep a dreamless slumber."  
>Then his eyelids fell shut as he felt himself sink to the ground. <em>

Tyler shakes his head, trying to push the bad memory away. Sighing deeply, he gets up and blasts into the air. He noted that he still had to work on his flying. Like a drunken man, he zigzags through the sky, not really caring nor really trying to keep his balance. _I've got to find her_, he thinks, _before _they_ do. _An old image of his former life pops into his head as he thinks of the girl with the pink eyes and red locks. He narrows his eyes and bites his lip. _Where are you?_

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><p><strong>Well, so much for the first chapter. It's kinda like an introduction to the story.<br>I hope you liked it. Please leave a review, it would help me so much. **

**Thanks for reading! :)  
><strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey!**

**So here is the second chapter.  
>Hope you like!<strong>

**Please read and review.  
>I don't own the Powerpuff Girls.<strong>

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><p><em>"It is better to stay silent and be thought a fool,<br>than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt."  
>-Unknown-<em>

Chapter two:

The shrill sound of the school bell makes it for the students clear that classes have started. Kaitlin enters her classroom and plumps down next to Amy Carroll, her soulmate ever since they both joined kindergarten.

"Wassup?" Amy asks, her ever cheery smile plastered all over her freckled face.  
>Kaitlin releases a sigh and gives her <em>best friend forever<em>a meaningful look.  
>Amy's bright grin shrinks to an understanding smile, "You're having that dream again, aren't you?"<br>Kaitlin growls, "If only I knew what it meant." Her friend nods understandingly.

The door swings open and in comes Miss Fudge, their English teacher and the biggest shrew Kaitlin has ever met in her entire life! Normally, Kaitlin got along very well with teachers. She was one of the best students in school. On top of that, she was the leader of the math _and_ science club and most of the time a teacher's favorite. But there were exceptions like Miss Fudge, who were only there to make her life miserable, because she could outsmart them easily and Miss Fudge knew this all too well.

"Sit down, class!", the _slightly_ overweighed woman stomps over to her desk.  
>Sitting down on her chair, the piece of furniture makes an ominous sound and Kaitlin feels sorry for the poor seating.<p>

"Alright, we're having a new student today," she says, looking down on a sheet of paper while adjusting her glasses, "An exchange student, apparently. Now, you better all be good to her or there will be consequences. It stands here that I have to appoint one of you to give the girl a sight throughout our school."

At this, she looks up and scans the class. A devilish grin tugs at the corner of her mouth when her eyes land on Kaitlin.  
>"Miss Campbell, I assign YOU to do this."<p>

Kaitlin's eyes widen, "What? Why me?"  
>"Because," Miss Fudge gets up slowly, "You know the school as well as your own pocket and as the perfect little girl you are, this shouldn't be of any problem to you. Or would it?"<br>The elder woman smiles triumphantly at the glaring teen, knowing arguing was out of the question. The girl's lips form a thin line and she holds a cold look while she breathes out, "No, of course not."

Miss Fudge gives a nod, claiming victory as hers, before beginning her lesson, "Now, you all take your workbook and make exercise 10 to 20! We start with.."  
>Kaitlin grits her teeth. <em>One day, I will make her feel sorry! <em>She shuts her eyes and clenches her fists, until she hears a snap. She stares perplex at her pencil, that once was whole, yet now was split in two under her iron grip. She blinks her eyes confused and sighs, shoving the two broken pieces away from her, laying it to the adrenaline and anger.

Another five minutes pass in which all of the students are eagerly working on their exercises, or at least they are pretending to. A soft knock on the door makes them all look up from their work book.  
>A short tug on the doorknob and in comes Miss Barrell, principal of Dartford High School and highly respected by all of Dartford High's students. After her, a young teenage girl enters the room, slightly skipping so that her jolly, blonde pigtails bounce every time she plants a feet on the floor. With her big, crystal blue eyes as clear as the ocean she curiously scans the room, an innocent smile gracing her features.<p>

Kaitlin feels her eyes go wide and her heart slump as she notices how incredibly similar this girl is to the one in her dream. Amy must've noticed her bewildered look, because she nudges her redheaded friend, "Hey Kaitlin, why are you staring?"  
>Kaitlin blinks, "Huh? I was?"<br>"Uh-duh-uh!" Amy uses her self-found expletive on her, which states something's pretty obvious or to emphasize something sarcastic, "Pretty stern too."  
>"I'm sorry," the smart girl sighs, "I thought to recognize that girl. I'm still a little spooked by that dream, that's all. I have to shake it off if I want to concentrate on classes."<br>Her brown-haired friend nods and gives a supporting squeeze in her hand, gaining a smile back from the redhead. Kaitlin gets her attention back on the girl in the front.

The blonde shoves a little with her feet, a shy blush on her cheeks and showing a faint smile as she obviously feels rather uncomfortable, standing there for her new classmates.  
>"This lovely young lady is Lily Johnson. She's an exchange student from Paris in France, so I expect you all to be nice to her. I'll leave her in your capable hands, Miss Fudge (<em>Oh, give me a break<em>). Have a pleasant day, all of you!"

The door shuts and Miss Fudge places a hand on the girl's slender shoulder.  
>With a honeyed smile, she says, "Let's give you a seat, shall we? Miss Campbell! Since you'll be her guide anyway, why don't we give her a seat beside you, so you two can get to know each other?"<p>

Kaitlin snaps her head up and stares at the girl in the front. For just one second, the two girls exchange a look. When the blonde's glance finds Kaitlin's, her eyes widen and she gives her a bright smile. But Kaitlin is too busy with scowling at Miss Fudge to give her one back.  
>To her surprise, it was Amy to speak up angrily, "But Miss Fudge, <em><strong>I<strong> _am already sitting next to Kaitlin!"  
>Miss Fudge narrows her eyes and Kaitlin knew her friend was a goner.<p>

"Well, then we shall do something about that, won't we? For such brutal behavior, you can walk yourself to the principal's office."  
>"What? But-"<br>"NOW!" the teacher's finger points towards the closed door.

Amy jumps up and storms out of the classroom, cursing Miss Fudge under her breath while doing so.  
>Kaitlin slumps down in her seat, sadly waving her plan, to go to the mall with Amy after school, goodbye. She glances to her side when she hears a thud next to her. With her head placed on her hands, the blue-eyed girl smiles down at her.<br>"Hi there!" she exclaims, "I'm Lily. What's your name?"  
>Slowly sitting straighter in her seat, Kaitlin mutters, "I'm Kaitlin."<br>The other girl gives her a bright smile, "Nice to meet you, Kaitlin!"  
>Kaitlin gives her a smile of her own, "Nice to meet you too."<p>

The blonde named Lily gives her one last, excited and yet also sad smile and then turns back to Miss Fudge, who is busy explaining the concrete use of the passive voice. Kaitlin raises an eyebrow at the weird look she got from the girl, but then she too, turns towards the woman standing in front of the chalkboard, wondering what exactly this girl could have been so excited about.

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><p>Through the empty halls of Dartford High, quick footsteps can be heard. Lily Johnson stalks through the labyrinth of passageways on her way to the girl's bathroom. That's where she told her teacher she had to go to.<br>In truth, it was time for them to contact her, and then she needed to be in a place by herself, so no one would find out her _real_ purpose of being here.  
>Glancing around, she slips through the door and into one of the cabins. Once inside, she presses a small, black button on her wristwatch. The numbers pointing the hour disappear to make place for a small, square-shaped screen. On it, the image of an elderly man appears.<br>His black hair is starting to turn to grey and a few wrinkles point out his late-forty age. His kind, dark brown eyes shimmer with knowledge.

His voice is strong, yet it also holds a comforting tenderness, "Did you find her?"  
>The blonde smiles, "Yes, I believe I did. The scan reacted to her.."<br>"That's good."  
>"..but I'm not completely sure."<p>

The man stays quiet for a moment.  
>"Why is that?"<br>The girl shakes her head, "The eyes are not the same. This one has brown eyes, while hers were…"  
>"Don't worry, Bubbles. It is possible that there are a few changes. But if she reacted to the signal, we should keep close tabs on her. Can you keep an eye on her while the others and I prepare everything needed?"<br>The girl nods, "Of course I can! Leave it to me."

A soft push on the same button and the screen disappears again, gaining back its original function as a watch. As Lily slips out of the bathroom, the school bell indicates the beginning of lunch time. Realizing History class is over, she decides to go the cafeteria and wait there for Kaitlin. _After all_, she thinks as she skips through the hall, _I have to keep an eye on her._

* * *

><p>During the past 3 days, Kaitlin had spent quite some time with her new temporary-classmate. In fact, the blonde constantly hung around her. Kaitlin began to think she had a problem making new friends and immediately clung onto the first person she saw. But to her own surprise, she didn't really mind the girl's company. Her cheery laughter and caring personality made her easy to get along with and Kaitlin actually liked spending some time with her.<br>Yet she held her guard up. Kaitlin had always been one who's very hard to deceive and she couldn't help the feeling that there was more to the innocent girl than she let out. At some times, Kaitlin found her staring at her watch. When she asked what she was doing, the girl would snap her head up and begin laughing weirdly, immediately putting the little gadget out of her sight. But the most bothersome she found the endless row of questions the girl would fire at her. It felt more like she was hearing her out than merely showing her interest. _Who her parents were. If she loved them. If she had any brothers or sisters. Where she lived. If she liked living there._ _If she ever went abroad. _And so on…  
>No, Kaitlin was not one to fool easily. She would play along for now, merely watch her and wait for her to make a move, keeping a close eye on this suspiciously acting girl.<p>

Kaitlin slaps her forehead.  
>"Oh god, I forgot my jacket!" she says towards her two companions, "I must've left it in chemistry. I'll be right back!"<br>"Wait, I'll go with you!" Lily shouts, but Kaitlin shakes her head, "No, it's fine. I'll just go get it and be right back. You wait here with Amy for me, okay?"  
>The blonde girl's mouth forms a thin line, but she mutters a quiet "Okay."<br>_But just be careful_, she wants to add, but that would sound rather stupid because it wasn't like there was any danger or something. So she decides wisely to keep her thoughts to her own.

The clacking sound of her pads echoes through the empty hallway. Kaitlin swiftly makes her way to the classroom, her footsteps stern and equal. Though she normally would feel comfortable in these familiar surroundings, she can't help but feel uneasy. The silence.

A gasp of relief escapes her lips when she reaches the class room and finds it unlocked.  
><em>Mister Turner must've gone for a cup of coffee<em>, she thinks while opening the door.

Walking over to her seat, she quickly retrieves her lost jacket. A small smile graces her lips as she thinks of how stupid her earlier panic was. She pushes a strand of hair out of her face and is ready to make her leave, when suddenly a low and heavy voice resounds, "We have been waiting for you, Miss Campbell."

Kaitlin freezes instantly and her eyes dart around the empty class room. Looking confused when there is no one to find, she turns around.

"Over here," the voice rings again.  
>She instantly spins around and faces the back wall, to see four dark figures step forward from the shadows. She lets out a gasp and takes a step back.<p>

"Who..Who are you?" she breathes out while the four men dressed in only black approach. She can't see their faces, because they are all covered in the shadow of a hat.  
>"Why, what of a welcome is thaaaat?", the one in the middle, obviously the leader, shakes his head, "It's been so long and then you would say something as blunt for a greeting. My, my, that's nothing like you.." he raises his head, making Kaitlin gasp in fear when she notices the man doesn't have a face, only two shimmering, blood red eyes, "..Blossom."<p>

"What did you call me?", the redheaded girl squeals, now officially freaked out because this creature obviously isn't human.  
>"Oh my, we are dealing with some amnesia, yeeees", he hisses, "Well, let me help you."<p>

An almost unnoticeable nod of his head and the three other men storm towards Kaitlin, who screams in fear while they grab her roughly. Her scream resounds through the halls, all the way onto the playground. A certain blonde captures it and comes into action, but unfortunately too late.

Kaitlin punches one of the creatures in the stomach…hard. It shrinks back in pain. Another one gets hit in the face. But the two slain men quickly recover and overpower the unfortunate girl. One of them shuts her mouth with his hand, muffling her screams, and holds her back. Another one holds a tight grip on both of her arms and holds her seated on her knees. She can only watch and try to break free as the other man grabs her left arm and bares it. Her eyes widen at the sight of the small needle, coming from behind his back. At the stinging pain of the dark orange liquid slipping into her body, Kaitlin releases another scream. Then everything starts to blur. She feels her body go numb and falls to the ground, while she faintly hears the hissing sound of the man standing before her, laughing maniacally, "Sleeeep well, Blossom."  
>Then everything fades into black as she falls into a quiet sleep.<p>

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><p><strong>Thanks for reading! :)<br>If you like it, tell me, and I'll upload another chapter.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey again!  
>Thank you so much for the reviews! <strong>

**Please keep reading and reviewing! ^^  
>I still don't own anything, and especially not the Powerpuff Girls.<strong>

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><p><em>"Nothing improves the memory more than trying to forget."<br>-Unknown-_

Chapter three:

Kaitlin wakes up with a major headache. She grunts quietly at the painful pounding of her head. Her stomach turns when she swallows, and a bitter taste stings her papillae.  
>Slowly, she opens one eye, only to see darkness. Her throat is dry and painful and her voice cracks when she tries to speak, but she only manages a hoarse moan, "Uuuugh…"<br>Now opening her other eye, she breathes in deeply. Her chest burns at the sudden amount of air and she lets out a series of coughs. Her eyes start adjusting at the minimum amount of light in the room. She can faintly make out the shape of it: a round, empty room with no windows or any other source of light.

Blinking her eyes, she thinks, _Where am I?_

Then she notices the silhouette of a door, right across from her. She wants to storm right at it, but she's brutally being held back by two heavy chains, attached to her wrists.  
>She stares at the black metal and tries to pull them out with all of her might. Out of breath, still feeling the effect of the somnifacient, she falls back on her knees.<br>A question bubbles up from the depths of her mind: _What happened to me?_

After aching her brain for quite some time, the black hole in her mind finally dissolves.

_That's right_, she finally remembers, _those weird creatures attacked me. Guess they abducted me as well, by the looks of it.  
>Where did they come from? Not from around, I can say that much.<br>Aliens, maybe? But then what do they want with me? Nothing good, I may say._

_Will I ever see my friends or family again?_

The redheaded girl lets out a deep sigh. Her heartbeat rises as she gets more and more aware of the grave situation she's in. Again, she starts tugging the chains and screams for help. No answer is being heard. All she hears is the sickening silence. A tear slides down the girl's face as she averts her eyes towards the ground._  
><em>_I may never get out of here. No one knows I'm here. No one will come for me. I'm all alone…_

**BANG ! !**

A huge explosion makes the building shake.  
>Kaitlin screams in fear when the trembling of the walls and the floor makes her lose her balance and she falls to the ground, being hold back by the rattling chains. Groaning, she gets up again and listens.<br>She can hear a patrol of men race by her door, shouting orders, but as soon as they have appeared, they are gone again.

For the following minutes, there was nothing but silence.

Then she hears a quick pair of footsteps coming her way. She holds her breath as she hears them hold right before her door.  
>Suddenly, there is a loud crack and with an ominous thud, the iron door falls off its hinges and on the ground. A cloud of dust arises when the metal makes touch with the sandy floor and Kaitlin shuts her eyes at the beam of light bursting in through the now hollow doorframe.<br>She peeks through her closed eyelids and sees a dark figure approach her. She gasps as he stands before her and shuts her eyes tightly, trembling in fear, waiting for what there is to come.

She expects a blow, kicks, maybe a stomp, but none of this occurs until she hears the rattling of chains again.  
>She opens her eyes to see the man, because he certainly is male, ripping the chains out of the wall like it was nothing.<p>

Suddenly missing the metal to hold her back, Kaitlin crashes down, only then noticing how weak she is feeling.  
>Supporting on her arms, which are trembling from the lack of energy, she pushes herself off of the ground while breathing heavily. Looking at the ground, there's suddenly a pair of red sneakers standing in front of her.<p>

Two strong arms take hold of her and lift her up gently. She grabs onto them immediately, afraid of falling again. She lifts her head and stares into a pair of ruby red orbs.  
>"Can you walk?" the one they belong to asks.<br>She slowly nods her head in response and furrows her eyebrows, thinking of how familiar those eyes are.  
>"Come on, we have to get out of here."<p>

* * *

><p>Supporting the weak girl, the redheaded boy makes his way through the labyrinth of halls, as quick as she can manage. Every now and then, Tyler would check his watch to see if he could make contact with any of the others of his team. Turning another corner, he suddenly sees a flash of dark blue chasing by.<p>

"Boomer!" he calls out. In an instant, the blonde haired boy is by his side.  
>"Brick!" he shouts back.<br>Then he lays eyes on the weak bundle clinging onto Tyler's arm, "You found her!"

The redheaded girl slowly lifts her head up at the new boy and mutters, "One of your friends?"  
>The two boys blink as they first hear the girl speak.<br>"Are you alright?" the boy in blue asks.  
>The girl waves her hand and grins, "I've had worse."<p>

The blonde boy helps Tyler carry her through the halls. But the girl starts to begin weakening again and she has difficulty with moving her legs. More and more, she leans on the two boys, feeling her powers drain.

"This isn't working," the boy with shimmering blue eyes remarks, "We've got to get out of here and quick! Can't you go faster?"

Kaitlin wants to look up at him. She wants to say yes. She wants to run with them. She hates being a burden and wants to show she's strong.  
>But instead, she falls to the ground, completely exhausted.<p>

"HEY!" Boomer shouts as he too is dragged to the floor.  
>Tyler growls, "Argh, this is taking too long! She can't stand more."<p>

With a swift move, he lifts the unconscious girl up and holds her bridal style. Rumors resound through the hall behind them.  
>"They're coming, Brick," the blue one says.<br>"Let's get outta here," the redheaded boy flies up and disappears into the distance. His crimson red streak is followed closely by a dark blue one.  
>They race their way back to the main entrance and burst through the door. Outside, a plane is waiting. Well, it actually looks more like a high-tech jet than just an ordinary plane… The blue and red streak rush inside.<p>

Guards now storm outside, led by the dark creature with the blood red eyes.  
>"Don't let them get away!" he roars, "I want that girl!"<br>Just then, a light blue and dark green streak flash through the sky and disappear in the insides of the airship. With the two last passengers on board, the engine comes to life and the jet takes off with full speed, leaving behind a pack of guards, an exploding base and a steaming, red-eyed creature.

* * *

><p><em>Faces. I keep seeing faces.<em>

Kaitlin gasps and sits up with a jolt, but immediately regrets it when her head starts spinning and her body hurts.  
>The aching memory her nightmare always left behind is still fully there. She hears a surprised shriek from beside her as she shuts her eyes and rubs her temples.<p>

"Don't get up!" she hears a familiar voice say, "You're very weakened! You should rest!"  
>The next moment, Kaitlin's being pushed back gently into the pile of soft pillows. Her eyes snap open and she stares at the girl she's come to known so well. The one that made her laugh. The one that just recently came into her life.<br>"Lily Johnson!" she screams out, harder than she would've wanted.  
>"Ssh!" the girl hushes her, glancing back at the closed door, "Don't push yourself."<br>"What happened?" the girl on the bed asks, still having trouble with the numbness in her head, "What are you even doing here? What's going on?"  
>"Take it easy," Lily says while laying some wet clothing on her head.<br>The pleasant cold is doing a great job on easing her headache.  
>"I know it's kinda odd that I'm here, but the truth is, I'm not really an exchange student from Paris."<br>"I figured that much already," Kaitlin cracks a small smile.  
>"Well, I'm not anymore," she continues, giving a soft smile back, "I'm from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. I was sent to your school with a certain purpose, but I'm afraid that's all I can say."<p>

Suddenly, the door swings open and in comes an elderly man, dressed in white lab coat.  
>Both girls snap their heads up at him and Lily gives an excited squeak, "Professor!"<p>

"Lily, I've got the water you asked," but the man stops when his eyes land on the conscious girl in the bed, who's giving him an examining look.  
>The man smiles warmly at the brown-eyed girl, "Ah, I see you're awake. That's good. My name's John Utonium."<br>"Oh, professor, can she eat with us tonight?" Lily jumps up, clasping her hands together.  
>"I'm afraid her condition won't allow that yet, dear."<br>Lily puts up a pout.  
>"But it's for the better, don't you agree? What matters now is that she rests and gets better."<p>

The blonde's sad face instantly turns into a wide-eyed smile, like remembering her friend has gone through a lot during the past days, and she rushes over to the bed to give the other girl a tight hug.  
>"Oh Kaitlin, I'm so happy you're safe! I was so worried about you!"<br>The redhead slowly returns the hug and mutters a "Thanks".  
>A sudden feeling of affection fills her chest at the blonde's reaction, like she's known this for years. This confuses her.<p>

"Lily, dear, why don't you give us a minute?" the elderly man smiles at the sight.  
>The blonde nods and lets go of the girl. At the door, she waves one last time at the two of them and then bounces out of sight.<p>

Seeing her friend retrieving, the redheaded girl is left with a lot of thoughts and the uneasy feeling coming with the fact that she just woke up in unfamiliar surroundings.  
><em>What's happening? Yesterday, I was just a normal scholar. Now I'm with strange people, alone with a strange man, back from being abducted by alien-like life forms.<br>And why is Lily here, of all people? She has a purpose of infiltrating in my school? Then this means it was fake from the beginning.  
><em>Yet of all the emotions normally coming with these questions, not even the slightest trace can be seen on the girl's neutral face.

After the door's been closed, the elderly man speaks up, "This must all be very confusing."  
>"Very."<br>The man looks up at the girl on the bed, who has her hands solemnly put together before her and watches him with an examining yet curious look. A wave of nostalgia flows over him at the recognition of that look.  
>"But it will soon all be cleared up."<br>"When is soon?"  
>He blinks, then smiles in a fatherly way, "When you're ready."<br>"I can handle it very well now, thank you."

He walks up to her and sits on the chair next to the bed, making the girl back off slightly. He smiles warmly at her.  
>"You're still so eager to know," at this the girl frowns, "But please trust me if I say that it is for the better to tell you later, when you're fully recovered. You were numb for quite some time and you must now regain your strength. If you want I can get you something to eat or dri−"<br>"How long was I out?"  
>"...For about 2 days."<p>

The girl's eyes widen and she looks down to her hands, "Was it that strong?"  
>It comes out as a whisper, but John hears her nonetheless.<br>"Seeing your strength, it must've been pretty tough, yes."  
>The girl gives him a thoughtful look, "Strength?"<br>"You should rest now. I'll let Lily bring you something to eat later on," John says, standing up and walking back to the door, ignoring the girl's question.  
>"Wait!" she shouts, making him turn around again, "How did I even get here? How did you know where I was?"<p>

With a kind smile, he answers, "Lily was there when they took you. She followed them and we freed you. But I'm afraid that's all I can tell you for now."  
>The girl seems somehow satisfied with the answer she got and she lies back again. John nods and walks up to te door.<p>

One last time, he looks back at the girl in the bed while she pulls up the sheets and stares at him.  
>"Sweet dreams," he whispers, inaudible for her. He shuts the door and stands there for a moment, listening, until it's completely silent on the other side. A small smile graces his lips. "How's she doing?" John looks up at the 5 teens standing in front of him.<br>The smile on his face grows.  
>"She'll be fine."<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Waah, I had so much fun writing this! ^_^<br>Brick to the rescue! :D (I hope you all figured out by now that Tyler is Brick.  
>It's up to you to find out who the other personages are. ^^)<strong>

**Okay, well, hope you liked and please read the next chapter, where a few things will be cleared up.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Good morning! (yeah, it's morning here) ;)**

**Finally, we'll get to know our other _mystery guests_.  
>Oh and don't mind the names, I ran out of inspiration. ^^'<strong>

**Please read and review!  
>I don't own anything.<strong>

* * *

><p><em>"A person who never makes mistakes never makes anything."<br>-Unknown-_

Chapter four:

During the past 2 days, all Kaitlin got to do was drink, eat and rest, rest, rest. She couldn't stand the word any longer!  
>Finally, on the third day, she decided she'd rest more than enough… Kaitlin waits patiently until Lily makes her way out of her room.<p>

After a last smile, like she always does, Lily walks out of the door.  
>Kaitlin waits another two minutes and then jumps out of the with starry print covered bed and stalks towards the closet she's been studying for quite some time now. Lily said her clothes were in there, so she opens the doors of the big wardrobe and is happy to find her clothes are indeed there.<p>

After changing from the sickening, blue nightgown into her usual pink top and grey-brownish pleading skirt, she goes on a search for some shoes. She opens one of the drawers of the closet and is surprised to find a rayon of shoes with matching stockings.  
><em><br>Like someone _wanted_ me to find them_, she thinks.

She picks out a pair of brown shoes and cream-colored panties.  
>Because it is December and most certainly cold outside, she pulls out a light pink jacket from the wardrobe and after checking herself in the mirror and being satisfied, she heads for the door.<p>

In the corner of the room, she suddenly notices a small, pink make-up table. It even has a big mirror attached to it, heart shaped and containing small lights within the broad, pink framework. A feeling of nostalgic suddenly overcomes Kaitlin and before she knows it, she's already made her way to it.  
>She lovingly glides across the wooden surface with her fingertips. She opens one of the drawers and finds some jewels in it, a pink brush and… a pink hairclip with a little, red heart on it. She swallows slowly as she takes it and with slightly trembling hand, places it in her hair.<p>

She stares at her reflection, until it suddenly blurs and she sees another girl stare back at her, with long red hair and pink eyes.  
>It only lasts a second, then it's gone again, but it's enough to make Kaitlin back away in fear and remove the clip again and place it back in the drawer. She holds her hand on the now closed drawer for some time, utterly confused, before releasing a sigh and heading for the door.<p>

_Relax, Kaitlin. You've had a long week and you're seeing things. Don't let it get to your head. You're gonna be fine._

After reassuring herself, Kaitlin releases a short breath of air and puts up a small smile when she leaves the room. She closes the pink door behind her.  
><em><br>I need some fresh air…_

Tyler brushes his hair back with one hand and sighs. In his left hand he twirls his fierce red cap around, while his right hand stays behind on his chin.  
>A thoughtful look captivates his crimson eyes. All this time he'd been looking for this one special person, and now that he had seen her, held her, felt her soft skin and even smelled her scent, there was one question on his mind:<p>

_What if it's not her?_

The hazelnut brown eyes are not even close to the cherry pink ones he remembers. The scent of honey does not even compare to the sweet scent of strawberry-blossom mix he faintly recalls. He can't get used to the loose, messy strands of hair instead of the neatly combed-out ponytail with the fierce red bow. miniskirts and loose shirts are nothing like her, and he knows.  
>Oh, he knows.<p>

He does not know the girl in his dreams by name, nor can he remember having ever spoken to her. Yet he knows how her voice sounds (strong and sensual), he knows the look of her eyes in his (hard and full of knowledge) and he knows she knows him too. And that she's searching for him as well as he is for her. He just doesn't know why yet. That's one piece of the riddle the professor would reveal to him, once he found this mysterious girl. But now that he found a match, she was nothing like he expected her to be.

Yet he couldn't help but feel a little impressed by the strength that the girl let out.  
>Maybe she really was…<p>

Tyler is snapped out of his thoughts when he hears a rumor on the aisle.  
>It's still early and the greens were certainly still in bed. The blues were up, but Boomer probably went for his morning walk and Bubbles was out in the kitchen, helping the professor, just like every morning. Then it could only be <em>one<em> person.

Tyler jumps off of his bed and rushes to his door, hearing disappearing footsteps. He sneaks out of his room and is just in time to see a flash of long, red hair disappear around the corner. He instantly follows, adjusting his cap back on his head in the process.  
>He nearly lost her track in the other aisle, but guessed right by thinking she would go to the garden. And so, he hears the backdoor click and with a small smug, opens the door as well, following her into the dark night.<p>

* * *

><p>Kaitlin watches the little cloud her hot breath makes against the cold night sky. She rubs her arms, feeling the cold seep through the jacket.<br>Little snowflakes make their way down, melting instantly when they make touch with the underground. The cold makes her forget about the past days, the stuffy room, the cracking bed and she instantly detests the time she would have to go back there.  
>She stares up at the stars and remembers the nights she'd spent with her uncle under this same starry sky. Her grip around the sleeves of the comfy jacket tightens when she thinks about her family.<p>

"Cold, aren't you?"  
>Kaitlin turns around with a jolt to come face to face with the intruder.<br>Stepping onto the terrace comes the redheaded boy who saved her the other day, a small smirk gracing his lips and his fierce red eyes resting on her.

She smiles softly and turns back around, "I'm not trying to run away, if that's what you think."  
>"I never said such thing," he suddenly stands next to her.<br>From the corner of her eye, she watches him gaze into the distance.

"Aren't you cold?" she asks.  
>He chuckles, "Nope. I'm never cold."<br>She turns to him, a sarcastic tone gracing her voice, "Really now? That would be rather odd, seeing how every human being experiences feelings such as cold."  
>He turns his head and stares into her eyes, "Maybe I'm not human."<br>Her mouth forms a thin line and she slowly turns back to stare in the distance, feeling his gaze on her.

"…I'm always cold."  
>The boy blinks at this.<br>She looks at him from the corner of her eye, waiting his reaction.

He slowly turns back and nods, "Uh-huh… yeah, I know that feeling."  
>"Cold?"<br>He laughs, "No. Feeling.._special_."  
>"Special?"<p>

He looks back at the girl, noticing she's now standing a little closer and her brown eyes look at him curiously, the light of the stars making them shimmer in the night.  
>A feeling of recognition suddenly tugs at his heart. He wants to hold the girl tight, embrace her, but he ignores the feeling and instead balls his hands into fists.<p>

"Yeah, special," he nods slowly, staring into her eyes, "We're all kinda special here."  
>She raises an eyebrow, demanding him for further explanation.<br>He blows a small streak of hair out of his sight and then focuses on her again, "In here, there's six of us, who are special. The guy you met back when we saved you-"  
>"For which I wanted to thank you!"<br>"-was Jacob", he continues with a slight nod, acknowledging her thankfulness, and then continues, "Then there's Lily, Amber and Kyle. You'll get to meet them soon. I guess we're all kind of special here. Jacob gets a lot of headaches. Lily gets along with animals extremely well, like she understands them. Amber and Kyle both have a fierce temper and when they're mad, something always gets blown up."

"And you're never cold," Kaitlin completes.  
>The boy replies, "You're special too. You're always cold."<p>

The girl frowns and turns back to face the building she came out.  
>"I'm not special. There is no such thing as specialness. There's only good and bad and when you're special, you're neither good nor bad. You don't belong anywhere."<br>Tyler blinks then frowns at this.

Without saying anything further, the girl starts walking back to the door.  
>Tyler's not going to let her walk away that easily though, so he roughly grabs her wrist and pulls her back.<br>Kaitlin gasps at the sudden touch and turns around scowling, "Let go of me!"

Tyler smirks, and pulls her even closer, making her scowl even harder.  
>"No, not until you explain your statement to me," he says, smirking at her, their faces only a few inches away. She rolls her eyes, which strikes him with a painful memory, and says, "God, what does it even matter to you? I don't know if you noticed, but <em>special<em>people don't exactly make it in life. If special people utter their ideas, everyone thinks they're crazy. They're outcasts! So don't tell me what's so great about being special."

Tyler has been listening intently and taking in every word she says.  
>Then his smirk reappears, "So you really think you're not special, huh? Well, let me tell you something. Normal people usually don't get abducted by alien life forms. They don't get shot at and they certainly don't survive such an amount of anesthetic."<p>

The girl's eyes widen at this.  
>Tyler finally releases her and crosses his arms, smirking, "So prove to me that you're not special."<p>

She watches him for a moment, an icy look in her eyes, feeling her anger rise. She glares into his eyes.  
>A smirk makes those red orbs twinkle with pleasure, knowing he would win this little duel.<br>Yet for one short second, she recognizes the playfulness in them, the small spark of sympathy and she instantly lowers her glare to replace it with a confused stare.  
><em>Now I remember! Those eyes…they're the ones from my dream!<br>_  
>Of course Tyler notices the change in attitude and he cocks an eyebrow at the perplexed girl in front of him.<br>"You okay?" he asks.  
>Suddenly, she smiles. He's never seen her smile before.<br>It kinda takes him off guard.

Then she nods, "You're right, I can't…"  
>Hearing this, Tyler can't suppress a triumphant smirk.<br>"I better get back inside now," she remarks, turning around and walking away, "The name's Kaitlin, by the way."  
>"Tyler" he shouts after her, still smirking.<br>She waves a hand at him and then the door clicks shut.

Tyler suddenly feels lonely. He turns back around to face the mountains again and stuffs his hands deep inside the pockets of his jeans.  
>Looking up at the starry sky once more, he mumbles quietly, "Where are you…?"<p>

* * *

><p>Sandra Keane peers through the kitchen window. The rain gushes down the transparent surface, forming little streams of water.<br>The sound of Lily's happy humming fades as her mind wanders off.

Finally, _finally_, John has found the last of their lost children and now the eldest of them didn't respond anymore to the signal that they used to find her.  
>One time, the redheaded girl with brown eyes had responded to the electro waves of the radar, that scanned for chemical X-radiation. And that's it. One time, just ONE time it had occurred, rising everyone's hope and then it died.<br>So the question remained if this girl indeed was the long lost sister they all were looking for.

Sandra honestly didn't know. She was worried, for John.  
>One day, he would come into their room cheering, saying that it couldn't be any other than HER. The other day, he would come around completely down, at the verge of crying, mumbling that the lack of signal only means their hopes are futile. It worried her to no end.<br>She had never seen her husband like that, ever since the girls passed away, she hadn't seen him smile like he'd smiled before. An honest, warm smile. Now it was merely a mask to cover up his feelings towards the outdoor world.  
>She honestly hoped that this girl indeed was the last of the famous tripling.<p>

Sandra softly places one hand on the cold window and whispers, "Please, _please_ let it be true. Please let her be…Blossom."

* * *

><p>The moment's there.<br>She's finally going to meet the other residents of the house, from which the location still is a mystery to her.  
>Finally some answers.<p>

Kaitlin takes a deep breath and then opens the cream-colored kitchen door and walks in, taking large steps, certain to make her entrance a memorial one.  
>The moment the door swings open, three pairs of eyes stare at her.<p>

"Kaitlin!" Lily squeaks, "What are you doing up? You should be resting!"  
>"I've had more than enough rest, thank you," Kaitlin gives her a quick, stern look, making the blonde know she isn't in the mood for nursery.<p>

"Good morning, dear," the dark-haired woman with crystal blue eyes smiles warmly, holding a towel and a wet plate in her hands, obviously busy doing the dishes, "it's good to see you're up again. My name's Sandra Keane, but please call me Sandra."

The third person is none other than the strange professor she'd seen but only once and who told her his name was John Utonium.  
>"Please, enough with the small talk," Kaitlin comes straight to the point, "I've been attacked by aliens, I couldn't get up for days, I'm far away from home and don't know if my family and friends are okay and what else not! It's time for some answers! Someone better starts talking now!"<p>

At this point, the redhead is starting to get pretty pissed as she recalls the situation she is in.

"Woah, good morning," a raspy voice suddenly sounds from behind Kaitlin, "She's got quite a temper, eh? I like that!"

Kaitlin spins around and comes face-to-face with a messy looking, raven-haired teenage girl with the brightest green eyes Kaitlin's ever seen.  
>The girl, still dressed in night suite, scratches her head and holds out her right hand, expecting Kaitlin to shake it.<br>"Name's Amber," the green-eyed girl says while she gives Kaitlin a remarkably strong handshake.  
>"Kaitlin," she mutters back.<br>Amber nods and then shambles over to the kitchen table, plumps down and immediately demands for pancakes.

"Yes, well, to come back to our topic," John says as he places a plate of pancakes before the girl in green, who eagerly starts digging down the food, "I will explain everything to you once the others are here. But first, you should have breakfast. There's plenty enough, so please, join us."

And so, after a quick moment of reconsider but giving into the feeling of an empty stomach, Kaitlin takes a seat next to the black-haired girl.  
>Lily soon plumps down beside her, lalala-ing happily as she does so.<p>

Not long after, a boy with blonde hair and deep-blue eyes comes in, which she assumed to be Jacob, following her experience, plus the information she got from the boy named Tyler. That last one joins them a short time after Jacob arrived.

Sitting all together, the only ones talking being the two blondes, reminds John silently of the good old days.  
>From the corner of his eye, he keeps watching the red-haired girl while she slowly munches on her pancake: to him, she looks more and more like his beloved lost one.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>So? What do you think?<br>Please let me know!**

**Thanks for reading! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey!  
>Good to see you all back!<strong>

**So this is chapter five. It explains what happened to our six heroes;  
>I tried my best to explain it to you, though I think I kinda messed up. I can only hope you'll get what I'm trying to say. ^^'<strong>

**Please read and review!  
>Oh yeah, as always, I don't own the Powerpuff Girls.<strong>

* * *

><p><em>"The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra."<br>- Jimmy Johnson-_

Chapter five:

"That was delicious," Lily says happily as she licks her fingertips.  
>"Kyle, as I recall it is your turn to clean the table", the professor says to the green-eyed teenage boy.<p>

Kyle had been the last one to join the group. He was a quite muscular, raven-haired boy with dark forest green eyes that shone with mischief. From the beginning, Kaitlin had found him an arrogant show-off as he tried to steal pancakes and shout blunt remarks.

With a grunt, the boy in question gets up.  
>"Hey BC, get your ass up and help me", he shouts towards Amber.<br>"Why should I?", she shouts angrily, not even caring to take her legs off the table, "You left me in the lurch when it was my turn, so why should I help you?"

"BC?" Kaitlin suddenly says like to herself, but loud enough for everyone else to hear, "What would it stand for, I wonder?"  
>Kaitlin's voice rings across the table, making the two greens snap their heads up at her, a caught expression on their faces.<br>The others immediately quiet down. Sandra Keane glances at her husband, who is keeping a firm look on the girl across the table, hands folded together before his chin. Jacob, the blue boy, glances around the room, Lily folds her hands nervously together, while Tyler merely watches the girl.

"Oh, it's nothing," Lily swiftly waves her hand at Kaitlin, who slightly raises an eyebrow in return, "It's just a nickname Kyle came up with. I forgot what it stands for."  
>While the greens, the blue boy and Sandra already start to relax at the quick reaction of Lily, the professor and Tyler don't move an inch, examining the other girl.<p>

For a second, just a second, Kaitlin remains motionless, her hands folded together on the table before her. Then she opens her mouth.  
>Like a knife, her voice cuts through the air, "You're lying."<p>

Lily stars and the tension immediately returns.  
>"Wha- How? What are you saying?" Lily tries to smile, but it only comes out as a nervous grin.<br>Even though she normally is the best at finding excuses, something about the calm and at the same time sharp aura hanging around this girl made her feel extremely uncomfortable.

"Lily," Kaitlin mutters, getting the attention of the blonde-haired female, "Your breathing's rising, you're eyes are darting around the room and your face is heating up. So either you're lying or hyperventilating, yet I highly doubt that last one. Also, you're waving your hand while you speak and you only do that when you want the attention or to hide something."

Lily blinks in surprise.  
>"What? You thought you were the only one on a look-out? I've been keeping an eye on you too," Kaitlin says as if it is nothing, keeping her motionless expression, while inside she can barely suppress a wide grin, enjoying the fact that she has outsmarted the girl that has been keeping close tabs on her for days now.<p>

The silence is broken by the clapping of professor Utonium. All six teens and the elder woman look up at him.  
>"Very impressive," he claps his hands together, "You certainly have an observant eye. Well then, I'm sure you'd like to know what we," he gestures around the room, "are doing here in this military base. So please, follow me into the lab, where I shall answer to all of your questions."<p>

Not waiting for answer, the man turns on his heels and walks through one of the doors immured in the light yellow walls of the cozy kitchen.

* * *

><p>"What you are going to see and hear in the following minutes, is to be kept strictly secret."<p>

John Utonium had spoken up from the moment they were all gathered in the with white and black painted laboratory.  
>The place is filled to the brim with machines and computers and of course the ever typical test tubes and flasks. The six teens are standing in a circle around the professor and his loveable wife, facing a giant computer with multiple screens covering the main wall. One screen, the biggest that is located in the center of the whole bunch, is on and projects a world map. It is in these surroundings, that professor Utonium begins his story. A story which will explain everything that has happened up until now. A story…about the Powerpuff Girls.<p>

_We…never suspected it. We were happy. Simply happy, living in a glorious time, where heroes fought crime and conquered over evil. Back then, it was just me and my girls. My dear girls…  
>Let me tell you a story. Some of you already heard parts of this story, some think they already know the story, YOUR story. It is time for you six to know the whole truth. So let me tell you. Let me tell you about…the Powerpuff Girls.<em>

_It all started in the metropolis of Townsville, the most beautifully happy, yet also most regularly attacked city in America, and I am even free to say in the world. It was there that I worked and lived, just like Sandra over here. I had enough of it… Of all of it… The stealing, the destroying, the attacking, the lunatics, the monsters, the corruption and pollution, EVERYTHING! And so, I decided to do something about it. That's how I created..the Powerpuff Girls._

_I made them out of sugar, spice, everything nice and added (by accident really) a small amount of chemical X, a dangerous and unstable liquid with unlimited potentials. Out of this perfect mixture, came three perfect little girls. My girls: Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup. Even though they were perfect, they were certainly not normal, for they had extraordinary capabilities. And because of that, they became the protectors of Townsville._

_Even when I thought they were extraordinary, they weren't the only ones with these superhumanly powers. There was another trio of children, three boys, created by one of their most dangerous enemies, and believe me, they had many seeing how they became heroes in such a criminally influenced place. The boy's names were Brick, Boomer and Butch._

_These boys were different though. They were evenly matched in strength and will, yet where the girls acted for good, these boys were created for evil purposes. And so, the six of them fought many battles, a few times almost killing each other in the process._

_But see! What was thought to be impossible, became real nonetheless! They often say 'opposites attract', and I have never seen more trueness in such a statement before. For at the age of fifteen, when they were in high school, they fell in love with each other!  
>It was a very long and very hard process, taking much time and a lot of patience and endurance from both sides, but in the end it once again was proved that love can bring together even the greatest of enemies. After that, our lives were wonderful! <em>

_With their united forces, the boys and girls fought back every thief, ruffian and villain they faced. Every villain but one…_

_At the day of their seventeenth birthday, the earth got attacked by an unknown alien species, invulnerable to all our weapons. Their ascendency was astonishing and they seemed to grow in number every day. Of course the girls fought hard, but in the end, they had to take their leave, unable to stop this mass destruction. They would've done ANYTHING to save their beloved town and their home planet. _

_It wasn't surprising that the leaders of the two groups came up with a plan: Over the years, the six had been working on a very rare and delicate technique.  
>They called it the 'Multiple Reincarnation'. <em>

_Their powers were so strong, so formidable, that they had developed a method to transfer their very existence into another life form. Or to say it in other words, they were able to secure their spirit and memories if their body should be destroyed and transfer it to a different body. It's what most people would describe as 'reincarnation'.  
><em>_That was the plan. They would strike again, in a final battle, a surprise attack, and if the plan would fail, they would combine their powers and eliminate the enemy's troops.  
>But the releasing of their power would disclose so much energy, that most certainly their bodies would be destroyed in the process as well. And that's where they would use their newly achieved technique. <em>

"Did they really do it?"  
>The professor looks up at Lily and gives her a sad nod.<br>"How terrible," the blonde stares at her hands, "They gave up their lives to save us. How noble! I wouldn't be able to do it."

Jacob places a hand on her shoulder and gives a reassuring squeeze, "It's alright. I'm sure they survived."  
>At this, the professor gives the six a sinister smile, "You are right, Jacob."<br>"Huh?" the boy looks at him with an odd expression.

"Take a look at this," John says as he motions to the big frame on the wall with the world map on it.  
>"As some of you might know, I have been scanning the earth for some time now. Let me explain: After the final battle, the alien species fled. But after fourteen years, they returned. Let me ask you, Kaitlin," he says as he turns to the neutral faced girl, "have you experienced some strange symptoms over the past years, like bad dreams or headaches or other strange things?"<p>

"What has my health to do with the story?" she questions.  
>The professor quickly turns back to the screen and starts typing some commands on the clavier as he answers, "The girls knew the risks of using the Multiple Reincarnation. And if the enemy would return, someone had to stop them. So we worked on a way to locate them after the whole thing was over. This," he pushes a button and the world map shows various dots and a radar system locating them, "is the radar we made."<p>

"It locates the influence of the rare chemical X the six were drained with from their birth. And you," he points to the six stunned teens, "are the most ultimate match I have ever measured. Don't you understand? With all this data and the technology in here, we can sort out if you six are indeed the boys and girls. If you are indeed my- I mean the lost ones we've been searching for sixteen years now: the Powerpuff Girls and the Rowdyruff Boys!"

At this point, all of the teens had fallen quiet.

* * *

><p>"So, what you are saying, is that you think of us being the reincarnations of your lost daughters and their friends?" Kaitlin speaks up after a long silence.<br>John Utonium quietly nods his head, "And it's not just a theory either. You see, you're the last one, Kaitlin. The others have been here much longer, Jacob even for three years now! We've been working really hard. These five teens standing beside you have undergone the delicate process of reviving the chemical X I told you about. They have been granted with the same superpowers the Girls and Boys had. They ARE the Powerpuff Girls and Rowdyruff Boys. They only didn't know the origin yet."

"And now, the only one left to find, is Blossom, the eldest and smartest of the girls. And my measurements say that YOU," his finger points to Kaitlin, "that you are her! You are Blossom, Kaitlin, the last of the Powerpuff Girls! You're a hero!"

Seven pairs of eyes stare at the redheaded teenage girl, awaiting her reaction. Yet the girl's face stays emotionless.  
>Then she slowly starts shaking her head, "I'm sorry. But I just can't believe that."<p>

A gasp from Lily and Sandra can be heard.  
>John's tense expression melts and forms into a forlorn one as he realizes what the girl just said.<br>"But you- you don't understand," he begins, "the formula. And I had it all calculated. I rechecked and the signal "  
>"I'm sorry," she says, turning her eyes to the ground, "but I'm not the one you're searching for. I can't be."<br>"I'm not wrong!" John slams his fist on a nearby desk, startling the other persons in the room.

As all stare at the gritting and mumbling man, Lily takes a step in Kaitlin's direction and places a hand on her arm, saying, "Please, Kaitlin, just listen. We've been searching so long for you. We're all chosen, don't you see? And we all got these powers, you should really see it."  
>"I'm sorry, Lily, if that's even your real name, but I'm not falling for this. Look, I'm sorry for your loss, but this isn't my fight. I never had these so-called symptoms (ignoting the dreams again!) and if you were so sure it was me, then where is the sixth dot on this map?"<p>

This makes them all look up at the map.  
>Two green dots, two blue dots and a red one could be seen on the map. Yet there was no sign of a sixth dot.<br>Seeing no one could answer, Kaitlin shakes her head again, "I have to get home. Thank you for saving me, but it'd be better if I go now."

With that said, Kaitlin turns on her heels and without saying another word, she stalks through the door.

She's never felt so relieved as when she heard the door shut behind her. Though she had managed to kept an equal face during the whole discourse, on the inside she had grown more and more restless with each sentence the professor had thrown at her.  
>Ignoring the muffled shouting seeping through the cracks of the door, she quickly walks down the aisle. A hundred questions run through her mind. She slows down her pace and bites her lip.<p>

_But what if they're right? No, it can't be! I don't have powers! I'm not special! Not me, it can't be me. That's just ridiculous!  
>But then what about all of those years? All those years I felt alone, left out, not accepted nor belonging anywhere.<br>And the dreams? What about the dreams? And now, when I finally found a possible explanation, people who might know something about me, I'm running away? _

_I can't! I can't believe them! Not even after what my parents told me…_

"_**Kaitlin? What's wrong, sweetie?"  
>"Mom? Did you ever feel..."<br>"What, sweetie?"  
>"…unwanted?"<br>Silence. Then a hug.  
>"Oh, sweetie, don't worry! Everything will be alright!"<strong>_

_**"But mom, you don't understand! I don't belong anywhere! Everyone out there, every single one of them, has something special that makes them feel loved. But I don't! Why not? What's wrong with me?"  
>Tears.<br>"Oh but sweetie, you ARE special."  
>"HOW?"<br>Streaking of hair.**_

_**"When you were born, you wouldn't cry. Where normal babies would cry, you remained silent. Your dad and I were so afraid that you would die! But then, Kaitlin, a miracle, a true miracle happened. A light. A blinding, warm light was all I saw. When it faded, you opened your eyes and screamed. And I knew you would live."  
>Sobbing and astonishment.<br>"You are the most important thing in my life, Kaitlin."  
>A kiss on the forehead.<br>"So don't ever say you're not special."**_

_I'm not special! Special people are being loved and admired. I'm an outcast! A freak!_  
>Hollow footsteps enhance the sound of suppressed sobs.<br>The redheaded girl is running now, tears streaming down her normally rosy face.

"You were wrong, mother!" her scream sounds through the aisle, "You were WRONG!"

A huge explosion suddenly occurs and knocks her hard against the wall. For a moment, there's only the headache and some muffled sounds, overmastered by a never ending, ringing sound. Then her ears start working again and she opens her eyes to see a cloud of dust and a big hole in the opposite wall.  
>Suddenly, a pair of blood red eyes can be seen on the other side of the gap.<p>

Kaitlin's lip trembles when she recognizes those piercing eyes, "Oh, God."

_A little earlier…  
><em>The door shuts and Tyler immediately starts shouting, "We're just letting her go?"  
>With his one hand now resting on the table, John Utonium rubs his temples, "We can't force her to stay."<br>The hurt and frustration is obvious in his handlings.

"But she _has_ to be her!" Tyler balls his fists while trying to hide the tremble in his voice, "I've been searching for so long now. I can't wait any longer. If it's not her, then I'm quitting this whole damn thing!" Angered and upset, he slams the door shut.

"Tyler!" Kyle shouts and wants to go after him, but Jacob makes him stop.  
>"It would be wise to grant him some time alone now."<br>Cursing under his breath, the raven-haired teen stands his ground. A moment of silence passes.

But just as John Utonium composures himself to speak to his fellow housemates, a terrible explosion makes the building shake to its foundations.  
>The five people in the room exchange a frightened look and all shout simultaneously, "KAITLIN!"<p>

For the third time, the iron door slams shut.

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><p><strong>That's it for now.<br>I think the first part is a bit messed up, but I'd like to know what you think.  
>Soooo, please review! It would make me so happy! ^^<strong>

**Anyways, thanks for reading!**


	6. Chapter 6

**It's me again! :)**

**In this chapter will be explained what happened to Kaitlin (aka Blossom)'s parents.**  
><strong>(So Kaitlin is simply the reincarnation of Blossom. Don't mind the name, she's Blossom!)<br>As Kaitlin, Blossom had a hard youth and her parents died in a car accident when she was still very young… At least, that's what she's been told. Read and find out what really happened.**

**I hope you enjoy!**  
><strong>Please review! :D<strong>

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><p><em>"But when a young lady is to be a heroine, the perverseness of forty<br>surrounding families cannot prevent her.  
>Something must and will happen to throw a hero in her way."<br>-__Jane Austen__, Northanger Abbey-_

Chapter six:

Tyler is busy cursing the whole world while running through the hallways, when he too feels and hears the earthmoving explosion.  
>He instantly changes course and flies as fast as a speeding bullet in search for the others, his previous anger silently being replaced by a growing worry.<p>

Within a mere moment, he's reached the aisle the explosion had taken place, and that last is a fact no one can deny because of the enormous cloud of dust that comes out of it and the noises that echo from within its inner.  
>Tyler runs into the thick dust cloud, covering his mouth with his sleeve to protect himself from the thick smoke polluting the air.<p>

Without warning, the cloud ends and he sees Kaitlin sitting on the floor, staring at a big hole in the wall.  
>"What the heck happened here?" he shouts while approaching her.<p>

Only then noticing him, Kaitlin snaps her head up at him and tries to reach him, but she finds it hard to move from the shock of the explosion.  
>So instead, she scowls, "What? It's not my fault, you know! It's these guys' over here!"<br>She motions her head to the hole and as if waiting for her sign, a voice suddenly rings through the building, "Grab her! Graaaaab the girl!"

Kaitlin releases a shriek and forces herself into action. She gets up, supporting the wall, her legs trembling.  
>At the same time as dark creatures start crawling in from outside the hole, Tyler sprints towards the girl and stands in front of her in a way to protect her.<br>"I won't let you touch her!", he growls.

Kaitlin looks up at him with a slight blush. What she sees is a muscular young man with flaming red hair and crimson red cap who's risking his own safety for hers.  
>Never before has anyone done such a thing for her. HER, Kaitlin, the nerdy, perfect, little girl with the big ego people always assumed her to be. She couldn't say she wasn't at least a <em>little <em>flattered by such kindness and it filled her chest with a comfortable warmth.  
>But this one moment of perfect happiness is not to last long, for the creatures begin their attacks.<p>

Three of them jump on top of the redheaded teenage boy and drag him to the ground. Punching and kicking, they roll across the floor.  
>Kaitlin watches in horror as Tyler tries to break free from the tangle of claws and fists.<p>

Hearing a hissing sound, Kaitlin watches a creature storm at her.  
>Gasping, she jumps out of the way, so that the creature, instead of hitting her, crumbles the wall she was leaning against. A big crack reaches up to the ceiling and little pieces start falling down.<p>

But Kaitlin's attention is being drawn to the scene next to her: When one of the creatures hits Tyler in the stomach, piercing a part of his flesh with its sharp nails, the boy releases a scream that makes Kaitlin lower her head in fear.  
>Fear of loss.<p>

With wide eyes, she watches him sink to his knees while putting his hand to the place he got hit. His red shirt colors even redder, as red as blood.  
>He lifts up his hand and growls at the sight of blood loss.<p>

Seeing this all makes something snap in Kaitlin. Her muscles tense and a rising anger towards the creatures fills her whole being.  
><em>How dare they hurt him? An innocent citizen? How DARE they?<em>

She balls her fists and glares at the creature in front of her, who gets back on his feet and looks at her with shimmering eyes.  
>And then, before she can even prevent herself from acting, she feels herself sprint towards her opponent, surprising him and herself with her newfound speed.<br>The man-like thing stumbles back a bit, but then launches a punch.  
>Kaitlin ducks and punches him in the stomach, making the thing double over.<br>She never knew this strength, but now that it's here, she wants to scream in anger, punch anything in her reach and take revenge for what they've done to her.  
>A punch on the jaw knocks the creature out.<p>

Panting, Kaitlin stares at the now motionless opponent and gasps, realizing that this is her work.  
>But she doesn't get too much time to think, because suddenly, she hears someone scream her name, "KAITLIN! WATCH OUT!"<p>

It's only then that she hears the cracking sound above her. She looks up to see a big piece of the ceiling come down on her.  
>Without even realizing what she's doing, Kaitlin jumps up and turns around in the air.<br>The floor's now above her and with one hand, she pushes herself away from it to land on her feet.  
>The fragment crashes down in front of her.<p>

Trembling, she recalls what just happened. Had she really just done a backflip?  
>But again, time to wonder what's going on is not being granted her when other pieces of the ceiling start tumbling down.<br>She wants to get away, but then remembers Tyler.

He's kneeling on the ground, cursing the fact that he let his guard down and well so that he got hurt, while pushing himself off the ground.  
>The creatures all retrieved when the ceiling began to collapse, taking their fallen companions with them.<p>

Kaitlin rushes to the boy through a rain of crumbled pieces of plaster and concrete. Once there, she grabs his arm, ignoring the surprised and then irritated shouting from him, and starts running.  
>To her surprise, he can keep up quite easily, despite the fact of being hurt, and well so that in the end, he's taking the lead and tugging her along.<br>Suddenly, a giant fragment starts falling down in front of them.  
>Tyler pulls Kaitlin to his chest and blasts forward, leaving a crimson red streak behind. Just in time it seems, because the moment they come in the other hallway they hear the impact of the fragment hitting the floor.<p>

They stand there, breathing heavily and staring at the now completely destroyed aisle.

"That was a close one, huh?" Tyler remarks.  
>The redheaded girl can only nod her head, still clinging onto the boy's shirt.<br>"Are you two alright?"

They look to their right and see the others, first standing there and then running towards them.  
>"How long have you been standing there?" Kaitlin asks while she gets attacked by Lily's hug.<br>"We came to save you, but the moment we got here, the ceiling started collapsing. We were so afraid, Kaitlin!"  
>"About me?"<br>"Of course about you, silly!" the blonde gives her a cocked eyebrow and a grin, "You're our friend!"

This makes Kaitlin smile, and this time it wasn't just a smile, it was a smile full of gratitude and happiness.  
>"Thank you, she whispers only for the blonde to hear.<br>The girl winks in response.

Then Kaitlin looks back at Tyler, "How's that wound?"  
>The boy blinks in surprise, "Wound? What wound?"<br>"Well duh, the wound you got from that thing over there."  
>"I don't know what you're talking about."<p>

Kaitlin's mouth drops slightly, "What the hell? That scratch on your stomach! I saw it with my own eyes!"  
>Tyler lifts his shirt to reveal his unscathed trunk.<br>Kaitlin's eyes grow wide, not seeing one drop of blood (except for the certain amount on the shirt itself) or even the slightest hint of a scar.  
>"But how?"<br>"We already told you that we have special abilities, Tyler says while lowering his shirt again, "One of them contains the ability of a quick healing."

"Never mind that", the voice of professor Utonium suddenly sounds through the hallway, "We have to get away from here and take Kaitlin to a safer place."  
>"What? I'm not going anywhere!" the redheaded girl takes a step back.<br>"Yes you are," the professor says. He gives a stern nod at Tyler and the redheaded boy instantly sweeps up the surprised girl.  
>"Let's get out of here," the professor says, while being lifted up by Kyle and in the meantime, Buttercup takes care of Sandra. Then they all blast off through the aisles.<p>

"Let go of me!" Kaitlin screams. She squirms and kicks, but to no use.  
>"Please quiet down," Tyler gets annoyed with her childish actions, "It's not safe in here. Now that they found our location, they won't stop until they get you."<br>"But what do they want with me?"  
>"They want you dead!" the redheaded boy snaps.<p>

The girl's eyes widen and she instantly quiets down.  
>"But what did I do?"<br>"It's not what you did," he answers, "it's what you might do once you regain your memory."  
>"But I'm not-"<br>"Don't you give me that again!" the boy interrupts her, "We both saw what you did back there. You're calling that normal?"  
>"I-I don't know what happened," she says while casting her eyes downwards, "It all happened so fast."<p>

Tyler glances at the worried expression the girl carries and feels a little pity towards her.  
>"Let's just get you into safety for now, okay?" he concludes in a comforting way.<br>Kaitlin nods and gives a small sigh, wondering what she had to do about the alien attacks. As long as they didn't leave her alone, she couldn't return to her family, for they could use her loved ones against her once found.  
>She bites her lip. <em>If they haven't found them already<em>…

* * *

><p><em><strong>A view in the past…<strong>_

Have you ever noticed, in the beginning of autumn, when the sun slowly sinks behind the horizon, how wonderful it is to be out at that exact moment?  
>It is already cold, but not too cold, so that you can manage to stay outside with only a sweater, but still feel the cold of the evening seep through the textile. These are the perfect conditions to watch how the sunset colors the sky with a beautiful orange light, slowly fading into a gentle white and then disappearing in the blue of the falling night.<p>

It was in these conditions that the Campbell couple made its way home on the night of October the seventh, now (as we recall our story) six years ago.

Misses Campbell was sitting in a firm position in the passenger's seat, her hands against one another, squeezing her small handbag with her tight grip. Her tight fitting, satin gown was crumpling underneath her, but she could care less. Her mind was somewhere else, thinking about matters no one would ever hear from her, gazing through the windshield of the car.

Mister Campbell held his focus on the driving, not even trying to reach his wife through conversation when she was locked up in herself. His black suit made him sweat and he couldn't wait to come home and change into his pajamas. The little black bow, which matched the whole costume, was since long undone, from the moment he had entered the car actually.

That's how they drove through the now nearly night scenery. The lanterns they passed repeatedly shed a stroke of light on the car's surface. Misses Campbell rose one hand from the bag and instead of squeezing started fiddling with the little pendant she got for mother's day. A small smile graced her face and caused some fine wrinkles to appear when she thought of her dear daughter who was waiting for them at home, most certainly asleep already. Mister Campbell glanced at her and the two smiled at each other. 

They were shaken by a loud, popping sound. Before they knew it, they had stopped.  
>Mister Campbell shot his wife a look and got out of the car to see the damage. Misses Campbell got out on the other side. Mister Campbell bend through his knees and placed a hand on the coachwork.<p>

One of the tires looked like it had been pierced.  
>A blowout, so it seemed.<br>He sighed deeply and looked over at his wife. She was standing a few inches further, her feet put firmly together and her hands folded before her chest.  
>"And?" she asked, her head reaching in the direction of her husband as she did.<br>"A blowout," he said, "I'll have to replace the tire."

She was about to sigh, about to smile to encourage him and about to climb back in the car and let him do his work, but the whole plan was shred into pieces when from behind Mister Campbell a dark creature arose. Misses Campbell's mouth fell open and she wanted to scream, but only a metallic sound escaped from her throat when she saw the creature's red eyes and heaved arm, holding a black dagger.  
>The image of his wife's horrified face was the last Mister Campbell would ever see. The next moment, his throat was cut. With a horrible, gurgling sound, he sank to the ground, eyes opened wide and blood gushing out of the fresh wound.<p>

"GEORGE!", misses Campbell screamed his name and ran towards him, but all in vain, because the life her husband had once held was already gone. The fading warmth of his body was the only thing that showed there once must have been blood streaming and heart beating in this now dead body.  
>Misses Campbell fell to her knees, the blood of her murdered husband on her hands and gown. Salt tears fell down her cheeks as she looked up to see other creatures approaching the scene. A shrill sound and out of nowhere, the car caught fire.<br>Misses Campbell stumbled back because of the fierce heat, but was grasped from behind and dragged to the front of the car.

There, the creature that had grabbed her threw her on the ground and held her hands behind her back. In a seated position on the hard asphalt, unable to move, Misses Campbell rose her head. Through tearing eyes she saw a big, dark creature with only red eyes for a face staring down at her.

Her lips trembled and her voice sounded broken when she uttered, "Why?"  
>The creature spoke with a strong voice, "Because she will be an easy prey if her loved ones are gone."<br>Her eyes grew wide when she slowly understood what the creature meant. She bowed her head and let her tears fall down on the ground, every so often releasing a weak sob. A second creature stood in front of her and rose the dagger, which still held some of the blood of Mister Campbell. Misses Campbell looked up at him and granted herself one last image to immerge. One of her sweet, little daughter.  
><em><br>Kaitlin…  
><em>The dagger came down. A blood curdling scream resounded in the cold night. A bird flew out of his tree and into the dark sky, during his flight looking down at the big fire beneath him.

The next day, a little girl would hear that her parents died in a car accident, from which the cause was an unforeseen defect in the motor that had led to an explosion.

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><p><strong>The end of chapter six.<br>Review please!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Big, biiiiiiiiiiig mistake! :O**

**Here's the right chapter ^^' so sorry about the mistake**

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><p><em>"Sadness flies away on the wings of time."<em>_  
><em>_- Jean de La Fontaine-_

Chapter seven:

"Buttercup, you drive!"  
>They are in the same high-tech jet from five days ago, but it's the first time for Kaitlin being in it at full conscious.<p>

"Okay, professor!" the raven-haired girl shouts back, "Bubbles, status rapport?"  
>"All systems operational," Lily gives her a thumbs up after looking on some gauges.<br>"She's ready to go," Amber grins.

With a nervous rumble the engine comes to life. Several lights pop on and the plane slowly starts to take off, leaving a burn mark from the engine's heat on the ground.

"Buttercup?" Kaitlin asks after having taken a seat in the back of the plane, next to Tyler and Lily, "I've heard that name before, during mister Utonium's story."  
>"Yeah, you're right," Tyler smiles softly, "Amber is the reincarnation of Buttercup, one of the Utonium sisters you heard about."<br>"I'm Bubbles!" Lily squeaks.  
>"I see. Then what about the other names?" the redhead remarks.<p>

Tyler's smile dies slowly and he gets a firm expression, "Tyler was my original name. Now, it's Brick. We agreed to not use our original names anymore, seeing we were never meant to exist in the first place. But to make things easier for you, we decided to break that agreement and use them for a while."  
>This makes the girl frown, "How can you just forget about your real name? Just because someone says you're not you? I don't understand!"<br>"It's not that simple, Kaitlin," Tyler, or.. _Brick_, shakes his head, "When we agree to the treatment the professor counsels, we give up our lives as normal people. In order to gain our powers, we choose for our other personality, but to live by it, we have to give up all that we are."

Kaitlin suddenly feels lost. _Give up all that I am? My personality, my characteristics? And what for? The dream of one man? Why should I give up all that I care for, for an ideal that's not mine?_

"Did you really do it?" she says before any bad thoughts besiege her mind.  
>"Not yet. But they all have. Boomer over there," he points towards Jacob, who is lying in his chair, his feet on the seat before him, head-banging on the music that blasts through his headset, "has undergone it two years ago. He was the first. Butch was second," he now points to the raven-haired, green-eyed punk in the front, who's busy arguing with Buttercup, "he's kind of an airhead now, but he was once the most quiet person I had ever met. Buttercup was the third to join the team. She's always been a fighter and a hothead, but it's even worse now. Bubbles here was just before me," he points with a gesture of his head in Lily's direction.<br>"That's me!" the blonde raises her arm while smiling happily.  
>"You too?" Kaitlin tries to keep her temper low and prevent herself from not screaming in disbelief. The blue-eyed girl nods.<p>

"It was in March," she says quietly.  
>"But why? How can you leave all that you care for?"<br>"That's just it. There was nothing left that I cared for."

Kaitlin gives her a disbelieving look.  
>The blonde smiles gently in response, but her eyes hold a sad glint, "My parents died when I was only a child. One day, the aliens came for me. They killed all my remaining beloved ones, because of a past I didn't even know. They took everything away that I loved. I had nothing more to lose. So from then on, I swore to avenge their deaths by joining the team. That's my story."<p>

With that, she stands up and skips over to where Boomer is.  
>"She was so sad after what happened," Tyler says, not to anyone in particular, but more like to convince himself from the opposite, "It was such a relief to see her smile again."<br>"And you're willing to do it as well?" Kaitlin breathes out, still unable to believe that the people sitting in front of her really gave up their whole existence for the dream of one man.

To her confusion, Tyler stares in her eyes for some time and then turns his gaze to the ground, which makes some strands of hair fall and cover his eyes.  
>"The professor wants me to wait. You see, as the reincarnation of Brick, I have strange dreams. I believe they come from another life. There is this girl I keep seeing, and the professor believes her to be my memory of Blossom. So he wants me to wait until we find her, and then I am hoping to undergo it as well, together with her. As a kind of final ritual, a definite end to my actual life."<p>

After a long pause, in which Tyler has been staring expectantly at the redheaded girl in front of him, Kaitlin quietly brings out, "And you're hoping she's me?"  
>The boy turns to the front and shuts his eyes tight, "Yes. Yes, of course I do. I can't keep waiting. I don't want to suffer any longer."<p>

Kaitlin feels like she should do something to comfort him. Hesitantly, she puts her hand on his and says, "I know suffering is hard, especially when you're so young, but to give up your whole being?"  
>"You don't understand a thing, do you?" he snatches his hand away and glares at her, "They took it all away from us! From every single one of us! We have no one else left!"<br>The girl shrinks back a bit, but recovers quickly and decides it would be wise not to get into a fight with the enraged boy. "My God, I was not even MEANT to live! I should be dead, but here I am, breathing and alive!"  
>"What do you mean?"<p>

He shoots her a look, before explaining, "I was born dead, but thanks to the Multiple Reincarnation, Brick's life energy revived me."  
>Kaitlin gasps and her eyes widen as she recalls the story her mother once told her.<br>"That's why I'm doing it," Tyler quiets down, "I was never meant to be here in the first place. I feel it as my obligation towards my other self to regain my memory."

An uneasy silence falls upon the two. Tyler glances at the girl beside him, while Kaitlin stares at her hands in her lap. _It's just like me. Everything's just as how it went with me! Then maybe there really is a possibility that I am…_

A loud shock makes the plane shake and spin. All of the female passengers, except for Buttercup of course, let out a shriek.  
>"We've got company!" Buttercup shouts from her place in the pilot's seat.<br>"How many?" John shouts back, trying to regain his composure.  
>"Three hunters and a battleship," Butch answers while pulling himself up using the back of Buttercup's seat.<br>"Incoming!"

Another impact resounds and the plane shakes again.  
>"Shit!" Buttercup shouts, "Hold on tight!"<p>

An enormous explosion hits the plane once more. Buttercup starts tolling and tumbling the craft, trying to avoid the incoming rockets while firing some of her own. Tyler and Kaitlin as well as the others fall out of their seats and onto the ground, releasing screams out of surprise in the process.  
>"Damn it! I can't shake them off!", Buttercup shouts angrily.<br>John tries to get up and shouts, "Try to-"

But before he can complete his command, he's being interrupted by a scream coming from Butch, "BUTTERCUP! WATCH IT!"  
>The girl snaps her head to the front and gasps when she sees the rocket come at them at full speed. There's no time to get out of its trajectory.<p>

Buttercup jumps out of the pilot's seat and out of the way. Immediately after, the rocket strikes and the impact breaks the windshield. Flames seep through the gap and start to spread inside the cabin.  
>Kaitlin can see Tyler jump to the front before she ducks to the ground. Just when she thinks she's done for, a black smoke surrounds her and an invisible hand lifts her up. She wants to scream, but it feels as if someone's preventing her from even letting out a squeak. She starts squirming, but finds herself unable to move as she's being dragged out of the crashing plane. Beyond her knowledge of how it could've happened, she's already outside, floating in the air, and watching the plane dive to the ground.<p>

The door to the cargo compartment of the plane is wide-open. She can look right into the inner side of the plane, where she had been only a minute ago. She gets it hard to breathe while she's being dragged away. Watching in horror as the plane in the distance tumbles to the ground, she suddenly sees Tyler emerge from the thick smoke cloud. He pulls himself up at the edges of the wide-opened door, coughing because of the smoke. He's soon being followed by Lily and Jacob. From her place in the sky, Kaitlin sees how they notice her and mouth something, obviously screaming something towards her. But she can't hear anymore, the black smoke is isolating her from all background sounds like a big, stinging wall.

The dark smoke consumes her fully and all she can see is black, black and black, everywhere around her. She shuts her eyes, trying to lessen the stinging caused by all the dust fragments. Panicking, she tries to break free, tries to scream, but all in vain. Suddenly, she feels the grip that's being held on her body loosen and she falls to the ground. She comes down on a hard, metal floor. Grunting, she rubs her knees, thinking of how her fall will surely leave some bruises on them. She looks around and sees that the smoke surrounding her has faded away. She stands up, pushing her long, red locks out of her face, and looks around. She's inside another plane, or something alike. Her hazel brown eyes land upon a dark spot in front of her, from which two gleaming, red eyes watch her every move. She takes a few steps back, recognizing those red eyes immediately. The cold, metallic voice she has come to known so well, sounds through the room in a mocking way, sending shivers down her spine, "Welcoooome, Blossom."

* * *

><p><em>What happened a little earlier…<br>When the blast came and the fire spread, Brick had jumped to the front to help the professor and Miss Kean, the ones that were in the middle of the fire sea and the only ones vulnerable to it! He had made a little plan in his mind: he would go to the front, help retrieve the professor and his wife, get the others and then back to Kaitlin in the back of the ship. But he didn't foresee the abduction.  
><em>_When he, Bubbles and Boomer came out of the smoke before the others, they saw to their horror that Kaitlin was being caught by the enemy's grasp. _

_"__KAITLIN!", Bubbles screamed.  
>Brick was ready to take off after them, but another shock arose when the plane made connection with the ground and they all lost their balance, falling to the ground once more.<em>

_Out of the smoke, Buttercup and Butch, both carrying either John or Sandra, flew towards them.  
><em>_"C'MON!", Butch shouted, "This whole piece of crap is going to explode!" _

_The three teens stared at each other for a brief moment and then they all flew off together. Just when they made their way out, an enormous roar resounded and the plane fell apart under an immense sea of fire. The eight survivors were blasted away by the force of the explosion and thrown to the ground, pieces of the destroyed plane crashing into them with a great force. Only the iron bird's former form slightly remained visual deep within the flames. _

_On the forest ground, buried under debris and dirt, were they all lying unconscious. The hard explosion had taken its toll._

* * *

><p><em>Back in the enemy's plane…<br>_"What do you want from me?", Kaitlin demands with a clear voice, certain to not let any fear out when she speaks.  
>She would certainly not grant him the joy of seeing her fear, her vulnerability.<br>"We just want to have a little chat, yeeees", he chirps with an uneasy pleasance, "You used to be our number one nemesissss, after all."  
>"I don't know what you're talking about", Kaitlin replies sighing, slightly getting bored of people telling her things she was supposed to know, while she didn't. It was tiresome.<p>

"That's right", the dark figure hisses pleasantly, "You are suffering from a memory loss, yeeees. Well, let's help you, shall we? Why don't we tell you what REALLY happened that night? I bet your frieeeends didn't tell you yet, did they now?"

The girl glares at him from the corners of her eyes, "_What_ night?"  
>Though he had no face, she could see he was smiling, or more precisely <em>grinning<em>.

"Let's start from the beginning, shall we? My name, little human, is Felaket, or Afet, either are good. My real name, ah yeeees, my real name wouldn't be able for humans to pronounce even if they tried. We are children from the most pure race in the universe, the Muthis, a race that came forth from the shadow, many millennia before the existence of you humans."

"Seventeen years ago, we decided to incorporate the planet of Earth in our royal kingdoooom. But that didn't go too well, because of six little pestssss. These six pests, other than the pathetic repulsion the humans came up with, were not human. Noooo, they were more. Much more. Their powers were formidable, not even the Muthis will deny that fact. But still, they were mere scum, half-bloods that didn't deseeeerve living. Are you following, little one?"

Kaitlin clenches her fists, but nods either way, realizing she isn't exactly in the position to anger the dark upper lord. It would have no purpose either, because now she got the chance to find out what this whole _war_, 'cause that's what it seems to be, was about.  
>The creature chuckles happily and then continues, "Soooo, we tried to get rid of them, these so-called Powerpuff Girls."<p>

Kaitlin gasps when finally she sees the link between the two teams.  
>The creature's eyes gleam with pleasure while he watches her reaction, "But these six were tougher than we thought. They managed to repel us, but in the end, they gave up their pathetic liveeees to save their home. How touchy!"<p>

The thing snorts loudly, trembling with pleasure, sickening Kaitlin with his mere presence.  
>"And that was the end of theeeem. Or at least, so we thought. After fourteen years had passed of slow recover, we finally recommenced our assault, but we also discovered the truth: that the six were still among ussss. So, before they could take us out again, we decided we had to take THEM out. We had to handle the problem, how do you humans say it, <em>at its roooots<em>? Well either way, even though our best attempts, they still managed to reform their group. After all we did-"

"What did you do?"  
>Felaket gives her a malicious grin, "We began tracking them down, keeping cloooose tabs on the ones we thought could be them, finding out every inch of information there was to find out about them. But much more, yeeees, much, MUCH more. They had to be taken down. For good. They had to suffer from loss. Big, biiiig lossss!"<p>

"What the hell did you do?" Kaitlin shouts, hating to think what it would mean if her feeling was right.  
>The creature chuckles darkly before answering, "We took away the roots. Their support. Their.. EVERYTHING!"<p>

Kaitlin puts her hands to her mouth in utter repulsion, despising the fact her feeling always had to be so damn right about everything, "Oh my God! You killed their loved ones!"  
>An evil laughter arises from the creature on the throne, "My deaaaar, <em>only<em> theirs?"

Kaitlin's eyes widen and her lip trembles, "Wha-what are you saying?"  
>"You really don't know?" the dark manlike thing says in a somehow disappointed tone, but then turns into a devilish one, "Whyyyy, I think you know, don't you? I am talking about your dear uncle and aunt, of couuuurse."<br>"YOU'RE LYING!" Kaitlin shouts, hoping that Felaket is just testing her, "They can't-"  
>"Oh, is that so?" he says.<p>

A movement of his hand and on all the walls of the dark room appear big screens, reaching from the bottom all the way up to the ceiling. A video starts playing.

Kaitlin's eyes grow wide when on the screens, her house catches fire. Like that of a big ghost its light throws shadows on the ground surrounding the residence. A scream escapes Kaitlin's mouth and she feels her heart sink when two motionless bodies appear on screen. The dead body of a man and next to him that of his murdered wife. _Aunt..Uncle.._

"No…", Kaitlin whispers, "I-It can't be.."  
>The creature laughs even harder. As if to make a final statement, he holds up, still laughing though, a small necklace.<br>Kaitlin stares in horror at the pendant she once gave her mother for mother's day. She sinks to her knees as realization strikes her. A bittersweet memory forgotten in time.

Between giggles, the creature goes on, "You were the last, but you were also the strongest! We knew that if we took down you, they would be helpless! You, had to be brought down! And it seems we succeeded!"

Soft sobs escape her mouth and the first tears fall down her lowered face.  
>The thing chuckles devilishly when seeing his work, "Poor, poooor human girl! All alone in the world now! That's right! CRY! CRYYYY!"<p>

His words didn't seem to reach Kaitlin anymore. She realized long ago what he meant. Above his ranting, her mind loads itself with thoughts.  
><em>He killed them… He killed Aunt. He killed Uncle. Maybe even Amy? It was all part of his plan. <em>

"Yeeees, I was there when my men killed them. Their heads were sliced off and their house burnt. In the morning, the other puny humans would find an ordinary accident!" he cackles happily, not even noticing the girl in front of him. Her muscles tense.  
><em>They're dead. They're all dead..because of me.<em>

"And your PARENTS! They died in a car accident, was it? What a jooooke!"  
><em>I have no one left. So this is… so this is how Brick feels.<em>  
>The memory crosses the girl's mind, who's too far away to realize what's happening. Her eyes snap open.<br>_Brick! I know that name. I know that face.  
><em>Images start flooding her mind, images she never knew she possessed.

"It was so wonderful to hear your mother scream! Do you know whyyyy? Because when she screamed, I knew I would win!"  
><em>Please, someone…help me…<em>  
>"The look in her eyes…"<br>_I don't wanna be alone! Help me!  
><em>"…it was priceless!"

She lifts her tearing eyes up._  
>Shut up…<em>  
>"And now, you will die too!"<br>_Sh-Shut…  
><em>"I have WON! Gaaaahahahahaaa!"  
>"<strong>SHUT-UP!<strong>"

A hot pink light fills the room and hits the gurgling creature in the face, making him tumble over, throne and all. The laughter fades.  
>In the blink of an eye, he's back on his feet, to see the girl in front of him floating in the air.<br>His invisible face curls itself into a grim expression, "Well, well, you have shown yourself. At lasssst, we meet again…" The girl glares down at him with her cherry pink eyes, her fists balled, glowing with energy.  
>"…Blossom..."<p>

Once her name is said, the girl smirks, raising her hand dramatically, and fires an energy ball at him. A bright light fills the room while the ball grows to immense proportions and when the creature tries dodging it with his arm, it vaporizes his shadowy arm. The thing screams in pain, even though his arm quickly regenerates again.

He scowls at the girl, who in response, scowls back and says in an icy voice, "You have gone too far. I won't let you hurt me, or any of my beloved ones, ever again!"  
>He smirks in response, "My dear girl, all your beloved ones are gone."<br>"On the contrary, Felaket," she laughs, making him scowl again, "They are waiting for me…"  
>Then her face darkens, "You should have never come back," then there's the small smug again, "You have lost."<p>

She raises her hand into the air, just when Felaket summons his men with a loud, hateful roar. While guards start pouring in, Blossom blasts a hole in the ceiling. Taking off, she heads for the exit, while being followed closely by guards, but not before she has retrieved the pendant that had fallen to the floor.

When after only a few minutes, she accidentally finds herself in one of the main engines, she knows exactly how to make her escape. When the first guards enter the room, they immediately halt and retreat back the moment they see the girl standing, holding an energy ball in her right hand, next to the engine's fuel supply.

"Well boys", she says with a vague smirk, "_let's heat things up_."

From the outside, a random visitor would see a normal forest. But when one would look closer, they would see something odd. When one would stand and wait, they would feel the heat rising. Luckily for both teams, no one ever comes here in the first place. So no one would ever see the explosion, causing the invisible shield of the alien spacecraft to be destructed. From the huge ball of fire in the air, a pink streak leaves its mark in the sky while flying away.

* * *

><p><strong>This chapter's rather important.<strong>  
><strong>It's the first time we see Blossom in all of her glory.<strong>  
><strong>So for you who don't really understand; don't mind the name Kaitlin. Just see her as Blossom who doesn't remember ever being a superhero.<strong>  
><strong>Now it's up to Brick and the others to convince her to be the hero once more.<strong>  
><strong>Look forward to the next chapter! :)<strong>


	8. Chapter 8

**Yes, new chapter!**

**I'll try to upload the next chapters this week, but I have a little problem with a big project at school.  
>So please, forgive me if I cannot upload before next week. ;s<strong>

**I don't own the Powerpuff Girls.**  
><strong>Please review, I like to hear what you think.<strong>  
><strong>Thanks for the beautiful reviews so far! :D<strong>  
><strong>Now, on to the story!<strong>

* * *

><p><em>"Flying is simple.<br>You just throw yourself at the ground and miss."  
>-Unknown-<em>

Chapter eight:

She hears noises. Soft noises. Mere breezes shattering against her numb brain.  
>Did she fall asleep? No, she didn't remember going to sleep. Yet it feels as if she has been sleeping for hours.<br>Suddenly, there's another one. He shakes her, saying something to her. His voice becomes clearer while she's being rocked back and forth. She opens her lemon-green eyes.

"Hey, you dummy, you're finally awake."  
>She blinks her eyes before feeling the heat rise to her cheeks.<br>Sitting on top of her is a boy with pleased-looking, forest green eyes, smirking down on her, his face only inches away.

"BUTCH! You fucking pervert!" she shouts while punching him off of her.  
>The green-eyed boy grunts while rubbing his painful chin, now sitting on the forest grass, "What'd you do that for? I was just tryin' to help, ya know?"<br>"By assaulting me?" Buttercup glares, getting up quickly while balling her hand into a fist.  
>"Phuh! You're the pussy that got knocked out," he huffs while leaning his head on his right hand, still lying on the ground.<p>

"Shut up!" she snaps, somehow embarrassed, and sees her chance to change the subject by asking, "Where the hell are the others, anyway?"  
>Butch glances at her, like only now remembering his fellow-teammates. Buttercup looks around, scanning the place with her X-ray vision. Within the piles of rubble, she quickly locates the bodies of the missing people in question.<br>Giving him a light kick of her feet, she says, "C'mon, help me with this."

Brick grunts when the light of the sun blinds his eyes in his attempt to open them. He squints at the smiling features of Boomer's familiar face above him.  
>"Rise and shine, Brick," the boy laughs.<br>"Where's Kaitlin?", he sits up with a jolt, but starts grunting again when he feels the pain in his waist.  
>Looking down, he sees a big piece of metal coming out of his flesh. He shudders when he pulls it out and Boomer appraches him with a bandage and a compassionate smile. Brick looks around.<p>

A little further lies Bubbles, wincing while Buttercup treats her wounds with disinfectant. A little further up, he sees Butch talking to the professor and Miss Kean. Yet he finds no trace of the orange-haired girl.  
>"They took her," Boomer says quietly while bandaging his brother up, as if guessing his thoughts, "She's probably in the enemies' place already. We'll go save her once we've all recovered."<br>"No! I'll go safe her right now!" Brick jumps up, not waiting until his brother's done treating the rather deep cut.  
>Wincing, he places a hand on the left side of his chest, only now suffering from the pain of two broken ribs.<p>

Boomer gets up slowly, leaning onto some long, metal bar he found. It's only now that Brick realizes he must have gotten hurt as well.  
>"Please, Brick," the blond boy sighs, "Look around. We're not exactly in the condition for a rescue operation. Give us some time to rest. With our healing capabilities, we're sure to be alive and kicking again in no time. Isn't that right, professor?"<p>

The man, who had been overhearing their conversation like all the others, places a hand on his bandaged up chin and nods with a thoughtful expression, "I think it will take about an hour or two for you to have healed enough to defend yourselves. Cuts are no trouble at all for the element X. It's the fractures that are real nasty. Those will take a day, or more, before they're fully healed. Plus, we have to bring Sandra into safety."  
>"You too John," his wife says with a stern look, "We almost got smashed today. It's thanks to Butch and Buttercup that we're still alive! You're not going out there to play the hero again this time, you hear me, John Utonium?"<p>

The professor rubs his head and smiles an innocent smile while nodding his approval.  
>Sandra Kean's hard face melts to be replaced by a satisfied smile.<p>

"Not that I want to interrupt such a mealy moment, but do we even know WHERE the girl is?" Butch says with a slightly annoyed face.  
>The professor places his look on him and says, "Well, all we know is that you guys destroyed their hideout in the Himalayas, back when you brought the girl to us. But to find out their current hiding place, I'll need my computers."<br>"So we just head back then?" Bubbles says with a disturbed look, "But what about Kaitlin?"  
>"I'm sorry, Bubbles," Boomer pets her back, "But I'm afraid there's not much we can do for her now."<p>

Brick growls, looking up to the sky, his hand still firm on his flank. Boomer gets up and places a hand on his brother's shoulder.  
>"What if we'll be too late?" Brick whispers, worry obvious in his eyes when he looks at his brother.<br>"She'll be fine," Boomer says after some thinking, unable to find a better line, "She's our Blossom, after all. She won't get hurt even if she-"

His words are being interrupted by a terribly loud bang. They all turn around and watch with shocked expressions how out of nowhere a gigantic plane appears, only one and a half kilometers away from where they are.  
>Thick clouds of black smoke penetrate from various places and flames can be seen, rising high in the air, but disappearing into the dark clouds they bring forth. It surely is a sight to behold for our little group of heroes.<p>

"Right there," the professor manages to bring out despite his surprise, "It was right under our noses. We never would've seen it. They put up an invisible force field. That was very clever of them." "Naturally," Butch says sarcastically, "but what made the thing go boom?"

While the craft starts falling to the ground, accompanied by an ominous sound of bending metal, little escape ships take off from various openings, taking their occupants to safer places. Suddenly, they remark a small streak of pink make its way out the crashing craft.  
>"UP THERE!" Bubbles shouts, jumping up and pointing at the movement in the blue air.<br>Her excitement makes her forget about the aching of her injuries and her eyes stare at the light in the sky, "What's that?"

They all watch while the light changes course and storms right at them. Boomer places one hand to his forehead to block out the light of the sun and narrows his eyes, "Is that…"  
>Suddenly, all their wristwatches start beeping loudly, providing the environment with a harmonious buzzing. All seven of them glance at the surface simultaneously and all see the same thing: a pink dot on the radar.<br>"BLOSSOM!" Buttercup shouts, no screams, at the top of her longs.

Gasping, they all follow the light with their eyes.  
>Instead of going straight ahead, it keeps changing course, as if pacing around frantically and suddenly, comes to a hold in the sky. They all watch in horror as the girl starts falling down, her long red hair trailing behind her. Before anyone can make a sound or comprehend the events that are taking place, a crimson red streak blasts into the sky.<br>"BRICK!" Boomer shouts after his brother, then turns to his other brother, "Butch!"  
>"Got it!" the other boy says while taking off as well.<p>

Brick flies as fast as he can, arms outstretched and reaching for his target. He catches the girl in her fall.  
>He keeps a tight grip on her while he tries to land properly, but his fractured ribs give him a really hard time doing so.<br>He feels he's losing the control, when a glimpse of forest green catches his eye.

"Yo, need help?" the boy smirks while he reaches out his hand.  
>"Yeah, thanks," the red-eyed boy smiles while gratefully grabbing the offered hand.<br>Butch supports him as they make their way back. Within mere seconds, they're back on the ground.

Sitting down onto his knees, Brick finally gets a look at the girl that's pressed herself against his chest ever since he caught her.  
>He takes hold of her shoulders while the others gather around them and tries to look at her face, but it's covered by strands of hair and she's looking towards the ground. Her hands are folded together very tightly, like to protect something, and put against her chest. Soft sobs sound from underneath the hairy mess.<p>

Bubbles is ready to throw her arms around the girl, but Boomer holds her back, noticing something's odd (and I mean not only the fact that she just FLEW her way out of the alien's craft).  
>"Kaitlin?" Brick whispers softly, while shaking her shoulders because the girl doesn't even move.<br>After some time, she lifts her face up.  
>"Kaitlin! What's wrong?" Bubbles squeaks, "Why are you crying?"<p>

Bubbles sits down before her friend. The red-haired girl gives her a tearful look and moves her shivering hands towards her.  
>Brick as well as Bubbles watch while she opens her hands to reveal a small, heart-shaped pendant. The small closure is broken and the inner can be seen: it holds a photo of a smiling, young girl with long, red hair. On both sides of her are standing either a man or a woman, hugging her and smiling broadly into the camera.<br>"Oh..Kaitlin," Bubbles puts her hands around the girl's, "What-"  
>"He killed them," Kaitlin cries.<br>"Who?," the blonde asks.  
>"Felaket killed all of them."<p>

The seven persons surrounding her shoot each other an alarmed look while Kaitlin's tears start pouring down and she sinks to the ground. Brick and Bubbles hurriedly put their arms around the weeping girl and hold her up by her shoulders.  
>While the others start discussing what to do next, Bubbles gives Brick a meaningful look.<br>Brick only has a grim look on his face while his attention stays on the crying girl in his arms. The redheaded boy tightens his grip on the shaking girl.  
>"Don't worry," he eventually mumbles in a hushing tone, his face still hard and bitter, "I will protect you."<p>

"There we are!", the professor says happily in an effort to somewhat enlighten the atmosphere, "Our base for the next couple of weeks."  
>His heavy bags make a thud when he puts them on the ground.<br>He turns around to see his companions pouring in one by one through the high, metallic door. Most of them are carrying luggage as well.

As last ones, Bubbles, Brick and Kaitlin (or Blossom) enter the huge hallway. Bubbles has her arms wrapped around the red-haired girl, speaking to her in a soft, comforting voice.  
>Kaitlin doesn't seem to hear her at all. Her face is averted to the ground and every now and then, she stares at the little pendant in her hands.<br>Brick is supporting her on the other side, worry obvious in his handlings.

The professor watches them and feels his heart break in two at the sight of his eldest daughter (for they knew for sure now that Kaitlin indeed was the reincarnation of Blossom).

"While we start unpacking, why don't you show Kaitlin to her room, so that she can rest? It's the pink door on the right."  
>Brick nods and gestures Bubbles to go help the others. The blonde does as he says, a little scared by the determined and angered glint in his red eyes. While the others put down the bags on the floor and Sandra comes in with a little suitcase, Brick walks the girl up the staircase.<p>

When he opens the door in the middle of the right side of the aisle, set between a blue one and a green one, a cold breeze blows in his face and ruffles his hair.  
>The small room's window has been opened and the light pink curtains dance gracefully on the wind coming in through the frame.<br>Brick walks over to the king-size bed with pink sheets, not caring to put the lights on. There, he sets the girl down cautiously.  
>After he has closed the window and turned on the heating system, he kneels down in front of her. The dullness of her eyes aches him when he tries to look in them and he feels powerless when he speaks.<p>

"Kaitlin," he tries to reach her in a soft voice.  
>The girl's grip on the pendant tightens and she looks up at him.<br>"Are you alright?" he asks.

Kaitlin waits for a moment and then slowly nods her head and even manages to crack a smile.  
>"Yeah.. I'll be fine."<br>Her voice sounds hoarse.

"No, you won't," Brick says as he grabs her hands roughly, his face twisted in a grimace, "I've seen it with Lily. She wasn't _fine_. Far from fine."  
>Kaitlin watches him and blinks, for the first time listening to someone ever since she found out her family had been murdered. The worry of the boy surprises her.<br>"Kaitlin… Blossom," he hesitates a second after having said her name, and then he looks at the surprised girl, "I don't want to lose you again."

There's a moment of silence.  
>Then she smiles. Heartedly. Lovably.<br>Brick doesn't know how to react when she leans closer.  
>"You haven't lost me, Brick," their foreheads touch, "You have just found me."<p>

A hug in the dark is one of the best a broken person can get.

* * *

><p>Heavy box clashes with floor and brings forth a sound that keeps echoing until long after the weight has come down.<p>

"Felaket!" Buttercup grits her teeth and balls her fists, "Why, that son of a bitch!"  
>The teen had kept her thoughts to herself during the trip for Kaitlin's sake, but now she couldn't hold her anger in any longer.<p>

"Please Buttercup, language," the professor says while rubbing his temples in thought.  
>"But she's damn right!" Butch speaks up while carrying three huge boxes full of things that belong in the lab, "That bastard did it again! He does it every time, and gets away with it EVERY TIME, Goddammit!"<br>"Butch, please…"  
>"I'll go kick his sorry butt for doing this to Blossom!"<br>"Butch!"  
>"He ain't getting away with it this time!"<br>"BUTCH!"

The boy finally snaps his head up at Miss Kean. Sandra gives him a tired look, "There's nothing we can do about it now, dear. What's been done, cannot be changed. All that we can do is be there to support Kaitlin."  
>Butch opens his mouth to say something in return, but the teacher gives him a disapproving look, making the boy shut his mouth immediately.<p>

"What are we going to do about Kaitlin, um…Blossom, professor?" Bubbles' high-pitched voice breaks the silence.  
>Professor Utonium turns to her and gives her a sympathetic look, "That depends on what <em>she<em> wants."  
>"You mean, whether she wants to undergo the treatment or not," Buttercup asks crossing her arms.<br>John nods, "The decision is hers whether she wants to stay with us or to depart."  
>"Humph, not like she has any place else to go to," Buttercup snorts sarcastically.<p>

"Professor, what happened to her anyway?" Bubbles turns her head to face the elder man.  
>He, in response, places a hand on his chin and says, "I presume that it has something to do with the fact of losing her family. The overwhelming emotions must have made something click in her mind, forcing her powers out. However, it seems that we'll have to stimulate them further if want them to stay. That'll be hard to do, though."<p>

At that moment, Brick walks down the staircase. The others all turn their heads his way.  
>"And?" Bubbles asks after some time of just staring in silence.<br>"She's asleep," the red-haired teen answers with a small sigh, "It'd be best to leave her alone for a while."  
>A nearly noticeable wave of relief changes the tensed mood.<br>"Okay," John gets up from his seat in one of the armchairs in the hall, "Let's put all these boxes where they belong. Butch, Buttercup, you can go with me to the lab. Bubbles and Brick, could you please help Sandra with the luggage? When you're done, you can go settle in on your own rooms."

They all give a simultaneous nod and then walk off into their respective directions.

* * *

><p><strong>That's it for this chappie!<br>Hope to see you in the next one! ;-)**


	9. Chapter 9

**I present to you: chapter nine! :D**

**In this chapter, we'll see the last of Kaitlin.  
>From now on, it'll just be Blossom (so glad for that). ;D<strong>

**Also, it's the beginning of a bit romance, and it's about time too!  
>More romance later on, I assure it! ;D<br>Another thing, I decided to give Butch a bit of fame in this chapter.  
>Cause, you have to admit, he can be really funny, especially when put together with BC. ^^<strong>

**I hope you enjoy!  
>I don't own anything!<strong>

* * *

><p><em>"Love is everything it's cracked up to be…<br>It really is worth fighting for, being brave for, risking everything for."  
>-Erica Jong-<em>

Chapter nine:

It has been four days since they got to the base. Not even once had the redheaded girl left her room.  
>Professor Utonium said they should be patient, that she would come out as soon as she felt ready. He and Miss Keane were the only ones allowed to enter the room.<p>

Often, Brick or Bubbles and even Buttercup would approach the door and listen or stand by it for some time with a tray of food at the base of the door. It always went the same way:  
>a soft knock for acknowledgment, a short "I brought you food", and then an expectant silence, followed by a muffled reply. It would always end in despair and aching for the one who brought the food.<br>The tray however often stayed untouched. Only the bottles of mineral water vanished.

Lying in her bed, Bubbles squeezed the sheets unstoppably when she heard the weeping from the room beside her.  
>Buttercup tried to tune the noise out, hiding underneath her pillow from the memories from her own despair, that seemed to come back to her when hearing the girl's sobs.<p>

Of course they were all worried, but John Utonium wouldn't bent.  
>"She'll come around", he would say as an answer for each burning question.<p>

And so, the occupants of the house continued their doings: the professor setting up a strong barrier around their new hideout for safety and trying to repair what they had retrieved from the jet, Sandra doing the casual chores and reading a lot of books to flee her worried thoughts, Bubbles trying to keep everyone smiling, Boomer playing music and trying not to worry, Butch and Buttercup losing themselves in endless trainings, Brick avoiding everyone and becoming more angry with each hour that passed.

All tried silently to forget the grief behind the pink-framed room.

* * *

><p>On one of those nights, Boomer hears a soft knock on his door, causing him to open an eyelid, shrug, and go back to sleep.<br>The soft tiptoeing only vaguely reaches his ears and his sleepy brain decides to ignore it.

Suddenly, there's a soft hand shaking his shoulder, while a feminine voice whispers, "Boomer?"

Boomer moans and turns on his other side, mumbling, "Five more minutes."  
>"Boomer!" the voices says louder, making him jolt up.<p>

Sitting straight up, he blinks his now wide-open eyes, still clinging onto his pillow. His hair is a mess, sticking out in all directions, but he is too sleepy to even notice.  
>When he sees a familiar pair of blue eyes, he sighs.<br>"Bubbles?" he says, still a little groggy, "What are you doing here at 3 a.m.?"

The girl shifts a little while looking down to her feet, and whispers, "Sorry, but I couldn't sleep."  
>"How come?" he asks with a yawn, trying to get his brain to work.<br>"Because of the weeping," she whispers while lowering her head slightly.

Boomer freezes, his hands still in the air from stretching, and slowly, he understands what she means.  
>"Oh, so that's it," he lowers his hands.<br>Suddenly, the blonde starts crying uncontrollably.  
>"Hey, hey!" Boomer jumps out of his bed and puts his hands on her shoulders, "Wait, don't cry! What's the matter?"<br>Bubbles grabs hold of his dark blue pajama shirt and presses her head against his chest.  
>Boomer blushes from the sudden touch and softly pets her back, "There, there. What's wrong?"<br>"I don't know what to do," the blonde says between sniffs, "I know how it feels. I want to help her, but I don't know how."

She starts sniffing again, and Boomer gives a sigh, "Bubbles, there's not much you can do. Crying surely isn't an option though."  
>When he notices she isn't planning on stopping, he asks slowly, "Why don't you sleep here tonight?"<br>The blonde girl looks up at him with wide eyes, but nods nonetheless.

They crawl in bed together and Boomer puts his arms around the slightly shaking girl. With Bubbles' head lying on his chest and her wetting his shirt, he stares up into the darkness, while whispering hushing words to her.  
>After a while, she has stopped crying and he's starting to doze off again, until he hears her voice, "Boomer?"<br>"Yeah?" he mutters.  
>Then he feels her lips on his cheek and his eyes shoot open while he stares at the smiling girl.<br>"Thank you."  
>Then she lies down and with a happy sigh, closes her eyes, resting her head on his chest.<p>

It takes some time before Boomer feels the heat fade away from his cheeks, but he keeps staring at her.  
>Then, he too lies down, a smug on his face while he stares at his ceiling.<p>

* * *

><p>Together with the afternoon of the fifth day, came the rain.<p>

Crystal blue eyes stare out of the window on the first floor. It was the second window to the right, if you look at the building from outside, in between another bedroom and a small bathroom with two washing basins and a tub.  
>Bubbles always liked looking out of her window when it was raining. The ticking of the drops hitting the Earth's face sounded like music in the silence of the world. People stayed inside, unless if you really got to go somewhere, and accompanied by a big umbrella and a raincoat.<p>

She starts humming a melody she once learned in school. In her old life.  
>She sighs and lets the memories from her past flood her mind, like a dream she had at night and now suddenly remembered: A drawing she once made, a boy she kinda liked in first grade, the pride she felt when her grandma told her how good the dress her mom had made looked on her. Then the loss…<p>

She shakes her head and decides not to think about her previous life because it makes her so sad.  
><em>Maybe I should go check on Kaitlin<em>, she thinks while pulling her socks back on.

Quietly, because in the silence of the aisle it looked wrong to make a noise, she slips through her half opened door. Although her destination is the room next to hers, the distance looks so much longer than normal. She tiptoes over to the of a pink frame provided door and leans her ear against it to try and make out a sound.

"Hey! What the heck are ya doing?"

Bubbles releases a shriek and stares at Butch, who comes up the stairs, carrying a tray of food. His face is a stern one, with one eyebrow raised higher than the other, yet also holds a hidden smirk.  
>"N-Nothing!" Bubbles smiles sweetly while rubbing her arm to keep her hands busy.<br>"The old man said we aren't allowed to disturb the gal," he says scoffing.  
>"I was doing no such thing!" Bubbles pouts, trying to sound believable.<br>"Yeah, right," Butch smirks, "Get back into your room before I drag your there myself!"  
>"Y-Yes sir!" Bubbles squeaks and then rushes back to the safeness of her bedroom.<p>

Butch shakes his head at the girl and bends to place the tray before the door, _I ain't bringing it in she can get it herself I'm not an errand boy Goddammit!_, until he hears a rumor behind the pink framed-door. He stands up again, still holding the plate with two hands, and hears Brick's words recalling themselves in his head.  
><em>"It'd be best to leave her alone for a while."<em>

Shrugging, he decides to do the opposite.  
><em>The girl can't stay in there forever. And besides, science-man told me to bring her the food, right?<em>

Smirking at that last thought, he quietly opens the door. The dull air that fills the room consumes him as he peers into the darkness. No light is on and the blinds have been closed. The cloudy weather wasn't helping much either.  
>But worse was that he didn't see the girl anywhere!<br>He slips inside the room and while holding the tray with his right hand, he closes the door with his other.  
>Holding the tray with both hands again, he looks around and says to the dark, "Hello? You there?"<p>

A messy, red-haired ponytail appears from behind the bed's side and is followed by two hazelnut brown eyes, staring at him surprised.  
>He relaxes immediately when he sees she hasn't disappeared into thin air yet and walks over to her.<p>

He finds her seated against the side of the bed, facing the wall with the window.  
>While she looks up at him, he gives her a cocked eyebrow, "Whatcha doin' down here?"<br>She blinks and gives him an apologetic look, "Sorry. I feel safer when I can sit like this."

After a minute of silence, in which either of them keep switching their looks from each other to non-essential parts of the room, Butch finally clears his throat and informs her what he's doing here, "I got you something to eat."  
>"I'm not hungry," the girl answers.<br>"All righty, then I'll go back. Nice talking to ya!"  
>"Wait!"<p>

The boy turns back around at her and sees her pleading look.  
>"Please stay a little longer. Then I won't feel so alone," the girl says with a quiet voice, which makes it hard for Butch to hear her, even with his superhearing.<br>"What should I do that for?" he says with another cocked eyebrow, "I got nothin' to gain from it, do I?"  
>"You can have the food."<br>This is enough to make him sit down beside the girl, with the plate before him and dig in.

The girl smiles at him while he eats.  
>Because it makes him kind of uncomfortable, he swallows the food in his mouth and tries to start up a conversation.<br>"So, watcha been doin' in here? I heard a noise when I passed by."  
>The redhead flushes and averts her gaze and mumbles, "I was singing."<br>"Are you good at it?" Butch catches her startled look and hastily adds, "Singing, I mean."  
>She releases a chuckle while shaking her head, "No. I suck at it, really. But it helps me through moments like these."<br>"Oh", is the only thing he can bring out.

Ano,ter silence settles upon them while Butch devours the rest of the meal.  
>Just when he swallows the last fragments, Kaitlin's quiet voice reaches his ears, "How did <em>you<em> get in the team?"  
>He looks at her and considers his options.<br>_Should I tell her? I never talk about what happened. Should I? On the other hand, she has the right to know, doesn't she?  
><em>He decides on his last thought.

All the while, Kaitlin sees him thinking, weighing his options. Once the light in his eyes returns, she's paying full attention again to what he's about say. He opens his mouth and after a second of reconsider, in which she fears he won't answer at all, he eventually starts telling her his story.

"Hi, my name's Butch Jojo," he says as to present himself in front of a group of unknowns.  
>Kaitlin gives him an odd look and sees he's kinda trembling and sweating, yet she doesn't understand what he's so nervous about, but pretends not to notice.<p>

"In my former life, I was called Kyle Jackson. I grew up on the outskirts of Londonderry, Northern Ireland. Beautiful place, I tell ya! My dad was a mechanic, my mom left us when I was two. I've never known the woman, but my father always described her as a _whore_ and _the biggest mistake of his life_. That's how I grew up as well: as a mistake."

"My old man never concerned himself with my wellbeing. That was my uncle's thing. It was he who eventually raised me and thought me what I needed to know to stay alive and kickin'. I had a hard childhood, but hey, you don't hear me complainin'. But then… _he_ came."

Kaitlin could guess who _he_ referred to.

"They killed me uncle and they killed me dad. Well, I didn't really fuss about my dad, but it was my uncle that did the thing. At the time, I didn't know it was _them_ yet. I knew though, when _they_ killed Bucks, my only friend and brother in crime."

Kaitlin releases a breath and Butch smirks at her perplexed look, "Surprised, ain't ya? After them creatures killed my family, you could say I got on the wrong path."  
>"But hey, I got around. But then these shadows came and killed my best buddy and I was so angry I kicked the living daylight out of them."<br>"You did?"  
>Butch lowers his hands, that he had raised in his enthusiasm, and gives her a shy smile, "Not really, but I wanted to. Before I could even knock at least ONE out, they were on top of me. They tried to drug me with the freaking orange stuff as well, but I managed to escape."<br>"You got away?"  
>He nods his head while continuing, "A truck drove past. I saw my chance to escape when them sissies went all wacko about a <em>possible witness<em> or something. I fled and they chased me, until this giant, awesome plane appeared in front of me and before I knew it, I was safe with the professor and Boomer and Bubbly. They told me what this shit was about and that's basically how I got here."

They were both silent.  
>"That's a lot to endure," the redheaded girl nods while hugging her knees, seeking for comfort.<br>"I guess," the raven-haired boy says and then takes a gulp of the bottle of water.  
>"How do you cope with it?"<br>He turns his head to the girl and gives her a questioning look, "What'd ya mean _how do I cope with it_? Just like you do with any fucking problem! Just get loose and give it your best shot!"

Kaitlin stares at him wide-eyed, "You serious?"  
>"Of course I am, what do ya think?," Butch says while smashing the bottle back on the plate, "What would <em>you<em> do then, miss know-it-all?"  
>The girl averts her gaze and places her head on her knees with a sigh, "That's what I'm trying to find out."<p>

Butch's eyes suddenly widen, now remembering she went through the same thing as he did. He stares in horror and backs off a few inches when a little amount of teardrops starts falling down.  
><em>Shit, I really have to keep my big mouth shut! Ugh, I'm such a dummy!<br>_Angrily, he folds his arms before his chest and glares at the wall, not really knowing how to handle emotional situations.  
>When a soft sob sounds from beside him, he decides he has to do something.<p>

Clumsily, he puts a hand on the girl's shoulder and pets it a few times.  
>She lifts her head up at him and hastily wipes the tears away, "I'm sorry. You must be thinking what kind of a wuss I am for crying before a stranger."<p>

Butch stares at her and then smirks, "We ain't strangers, Pinky. We're family!"  
>"W-What?"<br>He nods, his smirk widening, "Well, family-in-law, seeing how you used to date my brother."

The girl's eyes take the shapes of two big, round, bowling balls.  
>"I did what?" she shrieks.<br>He chuckles and rubs her hair, startling her.  
>"Oh, Pinky. Don't be such a wuss!" he says while leaning closer, doing the same thing he would do when Buttercup was down, "Get loose sometimes."<br>While his smirk is nearly inches away from her face, the girl gives him an astonished look and then turns bright pink.

She pushes him off, rather harshly, and shouts, "What the hell are you doing?"  
>He laughs loudly.<br>Her arms crossed before her chest, she glares at him.  
>"See? I knew I could make you stop whining!" he grins.<p>

Kaitlin stares perplexed, still a little glaring, "Why did you do that?"  
>"Don't think I meant anything with it," he snorts and sits up, while the girl feels slightly affronted, "I like someone else. But I had to do something to make you stop crying."<br>His face softens, "Stop being a crybaby, Kaitlin, and take some action."  
>Kaitlin stares for a moment, too stunned to believe this rude boy in front of her just made her forget about her problems and, though it was just for a split-second, it felt like the old days again. For the first time in five days, the girl smiles.<p>

At that moment, the door slams open.  
>"Hey! No fair!" Bubbles says when she sees Butch, "How come you can get in her room and I can't?"<br>Butch shrugs and Bubbles pouts at him. But then she sees Kaitlin's smile.  
>She instantly releases a gasp of surprise and smiles broadly, "Kaitlin? Are you feeling alright?"<p>

The girl takes in a breath, "Yes, Bubbles. I feel more than alright. Thanks to Butch, I have made a decision."  
>"Oh?" Bubbles says while looking at Butch, who shrugs his shoulders to say he doesn't know what she's talking about either.<br>"Yes," Kaitlin says looking at them with a confident look, a look they hadn't seen for a long, long time, "It's time for me to stop whining and fight back."  
>"You mean…"<br>"Let's go tell the others", a small smile graces her lips when the other two teens' eyes instantly look brighter, "that Pinky's coming home."

* * *

><p>The only sound that can be heard in the large living room, is the buzzing of a fly: now flying, then landing and mopping the ground for food or cleaning himself, then lancing himself into the air again. Yet the noise seems to even worsen the tension between the ones sitting in the room.<p>

Miss Kean and professor Utonium are sitting next to each other on the couch, holding hands solemnly.  
>Boomer is entertaining himself by following the fly, sitting on a chair lazily.<br>Buttercup is sagged down a few inches away from John and Sandra, wiggling her right feet and frolicking with the zipper of her jacket, finding it difficult to sit still.  
>In a nearby standing armchair, Brick is seated, mildly glaring at the small coffee table with the five empty cups on it. He's getting more and more innerved with Buttercup's tapping, sounding together with the ticking of the old clock and the buzzing of the fly.<p>

After another painful minute, he finally snaps his head up at the raven-haired girl.  
>"Would you mind stopping that?" he snaps.<br>She scowls, while continuing tapping, "Don't get on my nerves. I'm aching to beat something up."  
>As if on cue, the little fly makes his way to her, his final mistake.<br>A clasp resounds when Buttercup smashes the little insect between her hands and smirks at Brick, as if her action just approved her statement.

The tapping continues when Brick glares darkly.  
>"Buttercup, stop that," John finally sighs while Sandra gives him an understanding smile.<br>The teen immediately obeys, but not without a small grunt. Now the ticking of the clock is the only sound left to fill up the silence.

Until the tapping comes. The tapping of footsteps on the staircase. Two, maybe three pairs of feet.  
>"Ah, there they are," John Utonium says, getting up from the couch.<p>

A moment later, Bubbles and Butch enter through the door, both grinning suspiciously.  
>"Finally," Buttercup snorts, "How long does it take to bring her the damn plate?"<br>"Aaaw, what's the matter Butterbabe?" Butch smirks, "Missed me that much?"  
>Buttercup turns scarlet and snarls, while crossing her arms and looking away, "As if!"<br>Butch sniggers while John shakes his head, smiling, and asks, "And? Did you have any more luck on her today?"

Both Bubbles and Butch exchange a look and then Bubbles starts giggling and Butch grins widely.  
>"What's the matter with you two?" Buttercup asks, raising her eyebrow.<br>The others in the room straighten themselves and eye the two teens.

They, meanwhile, walk back to the door and hold it open.  
>"May I present to you, miss Kaitlin Campbell," Butch says ceremoniously while bowing slightly.<br>The others instantly stand up and stare as the red-haired girl in question appears in the doorway.  
>Brick's mood brightens visibly when he sees the girl sigh towards Butch, "Was that really necessary?"<br>"Of course," he smirks back, "This is a memorial happening! We've been waiting five days, ya know."

Kaitlin smiles and then looks around the room, at all the smiling faces in front of her.  
>"It's good to see you're doing a lot better," John Utonium breaks the silence.<br>Kaitlin grins, "Well, it's thanks to these two. Mainly Butch, though."  
>"Hold on, <em>Butch<em>?" Buttercup asks grinning, "Did BUTCH get through to you? You serious?"  
>Butch pouts, "Hey! I can be sensitive if I want to!"<br>"Yeah, right," Buttercup snorts, "I bet you raped the girl!"

At that, both Kaitlin and Butch's face suddenly turn a bright pink.  
>"Tss," Butch blushes, "I wouldn't- I mean, I- I would never do such a thing, except on you Butterbabe."<br>Now it was Buttercup's turn to blush. "Why you perv-"  
>"Okay!" John gets between the two, "Enough of that already. I think Kaitlin's got something to say."<p>

The still blushing girl clears her throat and starts explaining, "Well, as I said, it was thanks to Butch's …extraordinary ways of treating people," on which both teens share a slight blush, while Butch rubs his head and avoids the suspicious looks he's getting from his fellow-housemates, "that I have come to a decision."  
>All people stare at her and it kinda makes the girl feel uncomfortable while she continues, after having taken a deep breath of course, "I have decided to undergo the professor's treatment."<p>

A delighted squeak from the blues and bright smiles from the others are what Kaitlin receives and it gives her a double feeling:  
>On one side she's glad they want her to stay, but it also seems like they're glad with her decision on giving up on herself.<br>Then a thought occurs to her: _What does it matter anymore?_

And it was true. She had lost all of her family. These people, standing in front of her, offered her a way to let go of her problems. Was she so wrong to take on to that offer?

John Utonium walks up to her and puts his hands on the girl's shoulders.  
>"I'm so glad to hear that," he says with shimmering eyes, "It is the right thing to do."<br>Kaitlin can see Brick standing behind the professor. His hopeful smile pushes away her last doubts.  
>"I guess you're right," she says, looking back to the elder man, "It is the right thing. I just hope I'm not running away from my problems."<br>"You're not!" the man says, squeezing her shoulders a little, "You shouldn't feel that way. Feeling sorrow is not how you should solve things with. We'll defeat Felaket, together."  
>Kaitlin smiles at his reassuring, loving face.<p>

"Now," John turns around smiling, "Let's start the training!"  
>"Now?" Bubbles gasps, "Isn't that a bit soon?"<br>"Sure!" the professor says with a determined expression, "We don't have much time. Felaket will surely try other ways to stop us, and it might be sooner than we all think. We have to make her ready."

"First off, we'll try stimulating her powers. We have four days to do that. For those four days, she, and Brick as well, are being put on a special diet. You're all going to help train them until the point that they are ready for the treatment."  
>The others all stare wide-eyed at him.<br>"Four days?" Bubbles gasps, "Is that even possible, professor? Will Kaitlin-"  
>"Another thing!" the redheaded girl interrupts her, surprising her, "Please, I wish for you to stop calling me Kaitlin. I… don't wish to be reminded of my previous life. My family's dead and If I'm going to become Blossom, I might as well get used to my new name. I just… want to start a new life."<p>

Bubbles stares at her agape, blinking repeatedly, before continuing, "Will .._Blossom_ even be able to bring out her powers in that short time? I mean, it took us all about two or three weeks!"  
>Sandra nods, "Four days sure is short, John."<br>"I know", the man says, "But we don't have much time! I am getting strong signals that Felaket is planning a new attack. It might even be in a few days too!"

They all either gasp or narrow their eyes, but John continues, "We're starting the training now! Butch, Buttercup, I need you for the fighting. Brick, you are her mentor. Bubbles, you're on for the diet and meditation exercises. Boomer, self-defense and special defense/fighting techniques. Sandra and I will do the rest."

They all nod and Kaitl-_Blossom_ gulps when she hears her schedule for the next four days, but simultaneously is determined on succeeding.  
>She would do this right and become a superhero.<br>She owed it, to her parents, her aunt and uncle, Amy (wherever she is) and most of all, to herself.

* * *

><p><strong>That's it for now.<br>Thanks for reading!  
>Please review!<strong>


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey!  
>Sorry if it takes long for me to upload new chapters,<br>but I'm experiencing some _slight_ difficulties with a school project. :S**

**So, please forgive me if I don't upload in the next week, and I'm also gonna  
>try and write on the story, but I can't promise anything. <strong>

**Anyways, Butch is rather hard to have for a trainer. Blossom's gonna find out.  
>Read and review! ;D<br>Many thanks to all my reviewers! Thank you very much! ^^**

**I don't own anything...**

* * *

><p><em>"If at first you don't succeed,<br>try, try again."  
>-William E. Hickson-<em>

Chapter ten:

Two figures stand inside a small gymnasium, eying each other: a brown-eyed girl and a green-eyed boy. Others are standing outside, watching.  
>He smirks at her while she stands perfectly still, not allowing any emotion of fear onto her face.<p>

The whole afternoon, she had been training with him, the same thing over and over, until it got boring.  
>She already had a few scratches and cuts from her previous tries, but this time, she would do it right. A small drop of sweat runs down her face while she clenches her fists.<p>

"Ready?" Butch asks slowly.

Blossom, as was what she decided to call herself from now on, was beginning to think he simply liked all of this.  
>To beat someone up, that is.<p>

His smirk widens, putting her into full attention as she sees him pronounce the last word, "Go."

He rushes towards her, his fist balled behind him, and it is up to her to grab it before it hits her. It's hard, but necessary for her reflexes.  
>She braces herself, moving her arm forward... but grabs too late.<p>

Her back hurts when she hits the ground. Groaning, she sits up on her knees.  
>Butch is towering above her, glaring.<br>"Pathetic," he spits out, "The enemy's punches will be ten times worse and you can't even stop a sissy's punch. How do you expect to fight, when you ain't even got the strength to punch me?"  
>Blossom rubs her cheek and wipes away the blood on her knee, then looks up at him, "By hitting you ten times harder."<br>"Exactly!" he says, "But to do that, you have to stop my punch first. Again!"

Through the intercom, John Utonium's voice suddenly resounds, "_Butch, that's enough. Let her take a break._"  
>Butch glares at the transparent screen where he sees the others and snarls, "No freakin' way! We've got FOUR freakin' days and she can't even get this right! We're doin' it till she gets it right!"<br>"_Goddammit, Butch!_" Brick's voice suddenly sounds, accompanied by a high-pitched peep of the micro caused by the strength of his voice, "_Let her take a rest already! She isn't superhumanly yet, you know!_" Butch sighs and grumbles, "Fine, she can rest, but I'm outta here."

The redheaded girl watches him leave and slam the door shut, and then lets out a sigh while lowering her head.  
>This was harder than she had first thought. But she couldn't give up! She wouldn't. Never.<p>

The sound of the door slamming shut makes her snap her head up. Brick approaches her, carrying a bottle of water.  
>She gratefully takes the water and takes a large gulp.<br>He watches her when she sinks down again, sighing.

"Don't take it too hard," he says, sitting down as well, "You did great. It's only natural if the first time fails."  
>"I just thought that I could do it," she answers, "I thought that if I really wanted to do it, things would work out. I guess I was wrong."<br>"Things never work out by themselves," he says, cocking an eyebrow in a way to mock her, "You have to work hard to make things happen. Or else, what would be the fun in trying?"

She gives him a look and then smiles, "You're right. One bad try doesn't mean it's all lost. I'll just try and do better next time."  
>"That's the spirit!" he laughs, "Well, come on. It's time for your next training."<br>She gives him a tired look, "Am I going to be beaten up again?"  
>"No," he laughs.<br>Her face brightens and she gets up, "Alright."  
>The two of them walk out of the room together.<p>

The door slams shut, while the lights slowly fade until the room is left in silenced darkness.

* * *

><p>"That's it. Control your breathing."<p>

Blossom breathes in deeply, holds the air inside her for a few seconds and then breathes out slowly. Bubbles and she had been doing this for an hour now and Blossom actually found it quite relaxing. It helped her think.

"Tell me, Bubbles," she asks after another series of breathing exercises, "What exactly do I accomplish by controlling my breathing?"  
>"Simple," the girl smiles, "Once your breathing is at ease, your body and mind automatically follow. And only if your conscious is at ease, you'll be able to get in touch with your subconscious, where your memories of your previous life lie. You have to come in touch with the person you once were. Then, you can set free your powers."<br>Blossom nods, "It sounds logical."  
>"Well, let's try again," Bubbles smiles.<p>

Getting into meditation poses again, they begin another series.  
>A bird sings its happy song outside the window while the sun slowly starts descending from its place in the sky.<p>

* * *

><p>Today is the third day and there still is no sign of any process. Boomer starts losing hope.<br>Blossom was trying her best, but she still didn't manage to get her powers back. And they couldn't win this war if she didn't get her powers back _fast_.  
>Also, to put Brick at ease. Although Tyler had been able to force Brick's conscious out and regain most of his memories, the process still wasn't complete. For that, they, also, needed Blossom. She was what would bring him out.<p>

But after three days, the girl still didn't seem to respond. Not through fighting lessons, nor through meditation. Kaitlin tried her very best with his special lessons which should bring out her power, but nothing seemed to work.  
>Everyone was walking on edges, yet John Utonium kept saying, "She'll get the hang of it", and unconsciously, his optimism was what everyone kept going.<p>

Two hands suddenly prevent him from seeing and he smiles when soft, golden locks brush against his face.  
>"Guess who?" her cheery voice rings in his ear.<br>"Bubbly Bubbles?"  
>"Ah, no fair," she says while pulling her hands out of the way and pouting when he faces her, "You always guess it."<br>"Bubbles, you're the only one pulling that old trick on people," he replies with a chuckle.

The blonde smiles, but it soon fades away, noticing his frown.  
>"You're worried too, aren't you?" she asks while walking from behind the couch and slumping down beside him.<br>Boomer releases a sigh in response while he runs a hand through his hair and nods slowly. Bubbles gives him an understanding smile and that's how they sit for a few minutes.

Then suddenly, she jumps up again and walks back around the couch, forcing a questioning look to appear on his face.  
>"What are you- Hey! What are you doing?" he shouts startled.<br>Bubbles moves her hands over his shoulders, making circles and pressing slightly.  
>"Just relax," she says while continuing kneading the tension out of his upper back and neck.<br>Boomer soon gives in to the superb feeling and after a few minutes starts dozing off.

* * *

><p>Boomer and Blossom are sitting on the ground of the training room, still panting a little and leaning back for air.<br>"I don't know what I'll do," she suddenly says between breaths, "if I won't be able to get in touch with my powers."

Boomer breathes in deeply and breathes out very slowly, but then smiles, "Well, that is something no one can predict, but I've got to say this: You're doing great for just having started three days ago."  
>"Really? 'Cause I feel like I don't get anything done at all," she sighs.<br>"That's only natural," he smiles kindly, "Did you honestly think it would be easy?"

At this, the girl blinks.  
>"Blossom's plans always succeeded. She always got it sorted out, and I'm sure she did this time as well. You'll just have to keep on trying," he puts up a goofy grin, "So it's up to you, Pinky."<br>She rolls her eyes, "Butch always calls me that. I don't like it."  
>"I know," he chuckles, then, with a sigh, he stands up and reaches out his hand, "C'mon, let's continue. Or Brick will have me hanged."<br>She laughs and gratefully uses his hand to pull herself up.

* * *

><p>A loud thud echoes through the base when a certain red-haired girl falls to the ground once more. She has a determined look on her face while she blows a loose strand of hair out of her eyes' way. Though it wouldn't really help fix her wrecked look.<p>

"Again!" a certain raven-haired boy shouts while he advances towards her again.

His fist clashes before she could even stand up properly and she instantly falls down again, but it seems not to influence her stubbornness.  
>After all, it was her idea to do this once more.<p>

Earlier that day, she had asked Butch to give her an extra training. The end of day four was nearing and she still hadn't been able to set free her powers.  
>The raven-haired boy had responded admirably towards her perseverance.<p>

"Again!" his scream introduces another punch.

She comes down again, panting heavily, while thinking through her conversation with Boomer.  
><em>I have to keep trying. I'm running out of time.<em>  
>She leans over and puts her hands on the ground while muttering, "This isn't working."<p>

Butch flinches and sits down beside her with a sigh.  
>"Left with nothing, again," he mutters, glaring slightly.<p>

The sound that proceeds the intercom resounds through the training room.  
>"<em>Do you want to call it a day?<em>" the professor's voice sounds metallic, but still warmly enough to make her relax a bit.  
>She shakes her head, "Just give me a second."<p>

Butch gets up and decides to work on his own training for a while. Throwing punch after punch at the punching bags, he keeps on muttering beneath his breath.  
>Blossom pushes her hair back and puts her hands before her mouth, elbows leaning on her knees, while staring into space. Her eyes narrow in a thoughtful way.<p>

_This obviously isn't working.  
>If I want to force out my powers, it's obvious that these exercises aren't enough.<br>Maybe what I need is a harder exercise. But how or what?_

She lowers her knees and only now notices that she's in a perfect lotus position.  
>An idea occurs to her.<p>

She glances up at the exercising boy and calls out, "I'm ready."  
>He turns around and cocks an eyebrow when he sees her sitting, ready to meditate. He turns towards the wall and sees his fellow housemates shrug their shoulders.<br>_"Blossom, what are you doing?"_ Bubbles asks into the microphone, _"Why are you in lotus position? It's no time to meditate."_  
>"I'm gonna try something," she replies, fixating her eyes on Butch, "I want to do the exercise again, but this time, don't hold back."<p>

Butch's eyes widen.  
>"Are you out of your fuckin' mind? You'll get smashed into tha wall!" he shouts.<br>Cracking resounds and now Brick starts shouting through the microphone, _"Blossom, this is no time to fool around! What are you doing?"_  
>"Just let me try it," she sighs, "Butch, do you understand that it is very important that you don't hold back, no matter what? I want you to give me your best shot!"<br>He flinches, but then slowly nods.

Brick's ready to barge in, but the professor stops him.  
>"He's gonna kill her!" he screams at the man.<br>"Just wait until you know what she's up to," John replies, pulling him back to the window in the wall.

Meanwhile, Butch readies himself, while asking hesitantly, "Ready?"  
>Blossom closes her eyes in response.<br>She breathes in and exhales with a controlled pace, losing herself in the exercise and feeling her heartbeat drop.

She hears the footsteps of Butch, first hesitant, then determined and storming towards her. In her imagination, she can see him raise his fist, face twisted with determination and fear of hurting her.

In her mind, she recalls the picture the professor showed her of Blossom, the girl she's supposed to be, only more vividly.  
>She can see her smile at her, while tilting her head slightly.<p>

The footsteps close in on her.

Inwardly, she directs her thoughts towards the smiling girl with the pink eyes and large, red bow.  
><em>I have to believe<em>, she thinks, _that I am Blossom. I can do this. It's all up to me. They killed my parents, my uncle and aunt, my only friend.  
>They killed innocent citizens. I can't stay hidden and do nothing. I… can't.<em>

Suddenly, she feels a rush of power. Her chest hurts and she gasps for air. Her anger rises and she feels herself lose the control, hearing the footsteps now so close before her, that the hit can come any minute.

Her eyes snap open and she sees Butch's fist right in front of her, as if someone just paused the world.  
>She makes out a warning scream in the distance, "BLOSSOM!"<p>

Then, in a reflex, she moves to the right and raises her own fist in response. Everything is blinded in pink and she sees small, pink sparks jump away from her outlined knuckles.  
>Her stomach turns when her fist makes touch with his flesh and she sees Butch fly back, right into the wall, his stunned expression turning into a grin right before he makes a hole in the cement.<br>The pink light fades and trembling, she sinks to her knees, putting her hands on the ground.

At the same time, the door slams open and several pairs of footsteps run towards her.  
>A hand is being put on her back, weighing a ton, while she hears Bubbles' cheery voice say, "Blossom, are you alright? That was incredible!"<br>Blossom shivers, "I think I'm gonna throw up."  
>"Please don't," Butch grins while dusting the white debris off of his shoulders, "Because THAT, was awesome!"<p>

It's only then that the redheaded girl understands what just has happened. She felt like her stomach was turning inside her, but she also felt a lot of power. Was this… the power she had been searching for?  
>She slowly sits up and sees them all stare at her, and then she smiles, "I did it, didn't I?"<br>She starts laughing when she sees all of their excited faces and sees Bubbles hopping around while cheering with joy. A hand is being reached out to her and she looks up to meet Brick's excited eyes. With a smile of her own, she takes his hand.

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" the professor shouts, surprising everyone with his sudden excitement, "The next step is to bring out those powers as much as you can before tomorrow's dawn, because then, we will unleash them. So I want you to finish your training sessions for today with this new-found experience. Do your best!"  
>Then, he walks off (almost skipping off actually) and once outside, he takes his wife into a tight hug to express his excitement to her.<p>

Blossom feels a warmth light up her face and she feels like screaming her joy out.  
>She didn't let them down. She withstood all expectations and it made her feel whole again since a long time, like by passing the trainings, she had gained the right to be part of their group. It felt like passing an entry exam, really. Scary in the beginning, but once you pass, you truly can begin your year.<p>

* * *

><p><em>"You are searching for the magic key <em>  
><em>that will unlock the door to the source of power; <em>  
><em>and yet you have the key in your own hands, <em>  
><em>and you may use it the moment you learn to control your thoughts."<em>  
><em>-Napoleon Hill-<em>

* * *

><p><strong>Okaaaay, now that this chapters done...<br>Blossom's got her powers back! ^^**

**Look out for chapter eleven, where _romance_ will set in.  
>Eeee! I can't wait! ;D<strong>

**Thanks for reading.  
>Remember: I love reviews! ;-)<strong>


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey, it's me again!**

**I want to know what you guys think of the story so far.  
><strong>

**Enjoy my new chapter (especially those romancelovers out there ;D)!  
>Please review!<strong>

* * *

><p><em>"The key is to get to know people and trust them to be who they are.<br>Instead, we trust people to be who we want them to be- and when they're not, we cry."  
>-Unknown-<em>

Chapter eleven:

Buttercup throws another blow at the automatically controlled robotic warriors sent in by the training program. Immediately after the lemon green power wave hits them, their short time of existence ends and they crash to the floor.  
>She oversees the room full of slain robots, her fists still glowing and she smirks lightly at her work.<p>

_Yep, I still got it._

Suddenly, the door opens and a voice pops up out of nowhere.

"Woo-hoo," Butch smirks, "_Someone's_ gone a little into overdrive, ey?"  
>Buttercup instantly grimaces, "Ugh, just when I thought I could have some peace and quiet."<br>She turns around and crosses her arms, "What do you want, Butch? I'm kind of busy, as you can see."

"Chillax," the boy says, raising his hands in front of him, "I just wanted to beat up something as well. Care to join me?"  
>She huffs, "As if you would be able to put up with me."<br>Butch cracks a malicious smirk, "Is that a challenge I hear?"  
>She gladly returns his smirk, "It sure is. Unless, if you're too chicken!"<p>

With that, she starts making chicken noises, which in turn makes Butch fume with anger, "I ain't chicken! I'll show you just how much better I am than you, Butterbutt!"

She scowls at the nickname he cares to use whenever he wants to enrage her. It works each time.  
>"Oh yeah, <em>B<em>_**i**__tch_? Well, what about I beat you into pulp?"  
>He glares, "Whenever you're ready, Butterbabe!"<p>

Blushing from anger, she starts the highest fighting level and from the moment the robots appear again, the two teens immediately dash forward, certain to beat the other in numbers of slain enemies.

* * *

><p>After an hour or two, they're both spread out on the floor, unable to deliver another blow.<p>

All around them are pieces of robot, bent swords and sliced metal bodies, all neatly pushed aside to form different piles of rubbish.  
>The two raven-heads lay panting on the ground, trying to catch their breaths.<br>The billboard shows the score in bright red numbers: 217 against 217.

"A draw," Buttercup mutters.  
>Butch groans and gets up on his shaky legs, muttering, "Not if I'm around," but before he can deliver a hit, he crashes down again, panting heavily.<p>

Buttercup smirks, "I guess we really are each other's equal."  
>He glances over at her and lets out a hoarse chuckle, "It looks like it," then he smirks, "But I'm still better than you."<br>Buttercup jolts up angrily, "What the hell? No you aren't! I'm way better than you!"  
>"Keep on dreaming, babe," Butch smirks, crossing his legs while sitting down on the ground.<p>

"Don't call me babe," Buttercup hisses through gritted teeth.  
>"Aw, you know you like it," he grins while raising an eyebrow in amusement.<br>She instantly flushes, "Sh-shut up!"  
>"Aaaaw, little Buttercup's blushing!"<br>"Am not!"  
>"Are too!"<br>"Am not!"  
>"Are too!"<br>"AM NOT!"  
>"ARE TOO!"<p>

With each word said, they have gotten closer to each other, until they got the point where their faces were only inches away.  
>They both turn pink when they suddenly notice the small amount of space between them. They stare into each other's eyes until they both look away, blushing madly.<p>

"S-so," Butch suddenly says after having cleared his throat, "What do you think about the whole Blossom-thing?"  
>"W-well," Buttercup says trying to hide her blush, "she's improved a lot, so I guess that's good."<br>"Y-yeah, she's improved indeed."  
>A silence falls upon the two.<p>

Suddenly, Buttercup lets out a muffled giggle.  
>Butch turns towards her, an eyebrow cocked, "What's so funny?"<br>"Nothing," she grins at him, "I just can't believe she sent you flying through a wall."

Butch scowls, "Hey, I didn't see that one coming. How was I supposed to know?"  
>"Still, it was hilarious," she laughs, clutching her stomach.<br>"Shut up!"  
>"You were even covered in dust! Haha, got to say, you looked like a clown with your white hair!"<br>Her laughter fills the entire room now.

"Oh, ha-ha," Butch scowls at her while standing up, "Very funny. Looks like you are having fun, so I'll just let you enjoy yourself!"

He stuffs his hands deep inside his pockets and starts stomping towards the door, glaring daggers at it, as if to force it to open.  
>Buttercup gets up alarmed and sprints after him, "Butch! Wait! You're not mad, are you?"<br>She holds onto his arm, but he groans, "No!" and pulls it back and stuffs it back into its respective jeans pocket.  
>"Please wait," she shouts, "I was only joking!"<br>He turns around scowling.  
>"Oh, I didn't know that," he says sarcastically, "Next time, I'll make sure to laugh along. See?"<br>His face turns into a false grin, and then back into a glare.  
>"Please don't be like that," Buttercup says, starting to get angry herself, "I was just joking, okay? What are you, a baby? Can't even take a joke, or what?"<br>He growls, but keeps eye contact nonetheless.  
>"What is it ya want? Do ya want me to laugh? Cause <em>that,<em>" his eyes soften a little, "really hurt."

Buttercup's taken aback by this sudden change in attitude and all she can do is stare.

"Never mind," he mutters and turns around again, but Buttercup gets in front of him.  
>"What do you mean, <em>that hurt<em>? You're Butch! You never get hurt by a stupid comment!"  
>"You don't get it, do ya?" he grits his teeth, "It wasn't any comment!"<br>She looks at him perplex, awaiting his further explanation. He gulps before mumbling quietly, "It was yours."

Buttercup stares at him wide-eyed.  
>"Mine?" she breathes out, "What the heck are you talking about? Of course it was mine! What's so wrong about ME commenting YOU?"<br>Butch taps his feet and then shouts, "OH, FORGET ABOUT THE STUPID HINTS!"

Suddenly, before Buttercup can interrogate him any further, he pulls her towards him and crashes his lips against hers. Buttercup has her eyes wide-open while his are closed, but she soon stops struggling and melts into the kiss. She puts her arms hesitantly around his neck and kisses back.  
>Suddenly, as fast as they had begun their tender moment, they break apart and Butch stares into her eyes.<br>Buttercup realizes her cheeks are flushed bright red by now and stutters, "B-Butch, why did you-"  
>"Because I love you, duh!" he grins.<br>She flushes even more and can only stutter further, "B-Butch, I.. don't know what to say!"  
>"That you love me too, of course," he chuckles.<br>She glares at him, but chuckles nonetheless, "I guess so."  
>"So it's a yes?" he asks hopefully.<p>

Instead of answering, she stands up on her tiptoes and goes for another kiss, which happens to start as a tender one, but soon turns more and more greedily. That's how they stand in the training room for quite the time.

* * *

><p>"Good, Blossom, keep your breathing steady."<p>

Bubbles' kind voice sounds more excited than normal.  
>Before her sits a girl that starts looking more and more like a person again and not a wreck. And that makes her smile heartedly, because she hates seeing her friends in pain, and certainly her sisters.<br>Flashes of old memories occur to her while she keeps holding a smile.

Blossom notices her spacing out and asks, "Um, Bubbles? Is it time for a break?"  
>The other girl blinks and then giggles a little embarrassed, "Oh my, I spaced out again. We'll take a break for now, okay?"<p>

"Sure," she replies getting up, together with the blonde.

Bubbles shifts a little, and then says with a slight blush, "Umm, well, I'm gonna check out what Boomer's doing. See you in fifteen minutes!"  
>With that, she runs off, giggling slightly.<p>

Blossom smiles at her retrieving form and steps outside the door.

* * *

><p>Not really certain where to head next, she walks through the aisles.<br>While doing so, she passes the training room. She glances inside and immediately regrets it while ducking, her face heating up and looking as red as a tomato.  
>She covers her mouth while peeking inside again at the kissing couple of raven-haired teens.<p>

Recomposing herself, she runs off to quieter places, still a little freaked out of her mind with spying on them.  
>Yet she can't contain a chuckle while she pets her cheeks in a way to cool them off again.<p>

_How embarrassing,_ she thinks to herself,_ catching my own sister kissing!_

This makes her halt.

_Sister? Am I already starting to think like Blossom as well?_

She bites her lip until she hears a familiar voice say, "Hey! Never thought I'd see you here."  
>She turns around and turns scarlet once again when seeing an awfully familiar, SHIRT-LESS redhead with crimson red eyes.<br>She turns around, blushing madly thinking of how she never once saw him before with only a pants and his cap on.

"Hello? What's the matter?" he edges closer towards her.  
>"N-nothing," she says, slowly turning back to him.<p>

He smirks widely when he sees her red cheeks, "Oh my, can it be that Blossom, brave leader of the Powerpuff Girls, is embarrassed with seeing my bare chest?"  
>"O-of course not!" she shouts, flushing more and more, and earning a smirk from him, "But I wouldn't mind you putting on a shirt, like decent people do!"<br>"Ho now," he says raising his hands, "YOU're in front of the men's changing room."

This makes her blink at the door with the little plate indicating that this was indeed the men's changing room, and she instantly feels like an idiot.

"R-right," she mumbles, "Well, I'll be off then. See ya!"

She turns around quickly and stalks off, not wanting to look at him, when she hears him shout, "Wait up!"  
>He catches up with her rather quickly, "What are you doing here? I thought you had meditation with Bubbles?"<br>"Yeah," she says, noting he has indeed put on a shirt and instantly feeling more comfortable, "but she gave me a break. Though I think of it more being an excuse to go off and see Boomer."

She turns a little pink again, imagining Bubbles doing the same with Boomer as the greens were doing.  
>"I see, so you have a moment free then?" he pulls her out of her thoughts, "Care to go to the library with me?"<p>

Blossom's face brightens at the mention of the word _library_.  
>"We have a library?"<br>"Of course," he smirks, "It comes with the professor's love for books."  
>"Really?" she asks in a rather high voice, her eyes twinkling with excitement, "Where?"<p>

Brick chuckles slightly when seeing her enthusiasm and takes her hand, "Follow me."  
>Blossom's too dumbfounded to say something, so she just tries to ignore the feeling of Brick's hand holding hers, though she cannot keep herself from blushing, once again.<p>

Outside, the sun has disappeared and the moon shines its heavenly light upon the Earth's inhabitants.

* * *

><p>"Well, I think I should go off and find Blossom," Bubbles says with a sigh.<br>"Uh-huh," Boomer says absentmindedly, not taking his eyes off of the flat-screen.  
>Bubbles sighs again.<p>

To be honest, she had expected more from her little alone-time with Boomer than playing videogames nonstop.  
>She had found him in the large TV-room Butch had insisted on installing when they first had occupied the old house. The professor had found it fair enough as a condition to him joining the team.<p>

So when Bubbles had come in, after having asked the professor and then Miss Kean, and after she had skipped over to him, she had received not much as a glance from the teenage boy. She had tried talking to him, but his answers were random and of not much interest.  
>After a while, she simply gave up trying and stared at his avatar on the screen as it beat up various monstrous creatures.<p>

She gets up lazily and tries a "See you later", but only gets the regular answer: "Uh-huh".  
>She stomps off and slams with the door, growling while making her way through the aisle.<p>

_I surely may hope Blossom's break was at least a tad more interesting than mine_, she thinks bitterly to herself.  
>She slows down when another thought occurs to her, <em>Where to find her?<em>

* * *

><p>Blossom stares in awe at the billions of books that are stalled in front of her on equal shelves, covering the walls from her sight.<br>_This library is gigantic!_, she exclaims inwardly while taking in the atmosphere and scanning the immense amount of literature, eager to run her fingers across the labels.

"Well?" she suddenly hears Brick's voice from behind her, "Go on. Pick one."  
>"Can I?" she asks, almost squeaks from pleasure.<br>"Of course," he chuckles, "They're books. They're meant to be read, right?"

Blossom smiles broadly and walks up to a stack of books that has caught her attention.  
>She quickly scans the titles and smiles while pulling out a book, seemingly randomly, but which she recognizes from her English class. A book her aunt used to read to her and she has enjoyed reading herself from a certain age until now.<p>

She blows some of the dust off and smiles when seeing it's familiar cover.  
>Suddenly, she feels a hot breath against her ear.<p>

"_The animal farm_?" Brick reads aloud.  
>She nods, "By George Orwell."<br>"What's it about?" he asks, taking the book from her.  
>She takes it back with one graceful move and starts telling enthusiastically what the story's about.<p>

"So basically, it's about talking animals running a farm?" he asks after her explanation has ended.  
>"Basically, yes," she nods, "But it holds a deeper meaning. It's about power and how, when one possesses power, it is hard to contain."<br>He nods unconvinced, a bored frown on his face, "Uh-huh."

She doesn't even notice his lack of interest and simply goes on rambling while caressing the cover with her index finger.  
>"Just imagine how it would be if animals really could talk. Would they start a revolution, just as in the story?" she turns to him, "Isn't that fascinating?"<p>

He turns his attention back from the ceiling to her and gives her a bored look, "Yeah, sure, whatever."  
>Her smile drops and she places her hands on her hips, still holding the book in her right hand.<br>"Okay then," she says with a teasing smug, "What book would you recommend then?"

His face brightens and he stalks past her, towards the opposite wall while she follows him with her gaze, turning around.  
>He quickly climbs up a tall ladder and reaches out to a shelf, taking out an old-looking book and sliding down the wooden structure again.<br>He walks up to her and shows her the piece of literature, showing off a small smug.

Blossom takes the book in her soft hands and wipes away a layer of dust, until the title can be read.  
>"<em>The way of all flesh,<em>" she mumbles aloud, "by Samuel Butler."  
>Brick watches her turn the book around, read the summary and turn it back around to open it on the first page.<p>

After a minute of reading, he asks, "And?"  
>She looks up at him, smirking, "Oh my, I never knew you were the drama type."<br>"That's beside the point," he growls, "What do you think of it?"  
>"I like it and I'll read it," she says, closing the book and hugging it to her chest.<p>

But then they are being shaken by a not-so-far-away irruption, accompanied by the sound of something exploding and rumbling of the building.  
>The redheads maintain their composure while the entire library shakes, along with the rest of the base. One of the book planks shakes so heavily, that a huge amount of books tumbles down, right where the two are standing.<br>Brick notices the danger, and pulls Blossom towards him, to see the books miss her by a hair.  
>Blossom, not really knowing what's going on, blushes fiercely when noting the sudden closeness.<p>

They both look at each other simultaneously, staring for only a second or two, neither of them able to bring out a word and simply blushing as red as a pair of overripe tomatoes.  
>They are being interrupted almost immediately however, before they can move away from one another, by the door opening with a squeaky sound.<p>

"Oh my, am I interrupting something?" Bubbles raises an eyebrow, trying to prevent herself from giggling.

Both teens snap their heads up at her and instantly take a step back.  
>"I-It's nothing like that!" the female redhead shouts, blushing from embarrassment, "We were just surprised by the explosion a-and got into a close position because he saved me, which reminds me, I should thank him for that."<p>

Brick blushes and looks away, adjusting his cap and ignoring Bubbles' high-pitched giggling.

"Oh, you don't need to explain anything, Bloss. I think you two look cute together!" the bubbly girl exclaims, giving them a broad smile.  
>Brick and Blossom glance at each other and blush even redder at hearing this.<p>

Deciding to change the subject, Brick clears his throat and asks, "What was that anyway? The explosion, I mean."  
>"Oh, nothing too serious," Bubbles stops laughing to look at him, "It's just the professor. He said he had repaired the jet and he wanted to try and start it. Guess he'll have to work on it further."<p>

Blossom cocks an eyebrow, "Isn't he supposed to be a scientist? And I mean a good one, without explosions?"  
>"He is," Bubbles gives her a weak smile, "But sometimes, his inventions go, well… not as planned."<br>This makes the other girl frown.

"Yes, anyways," Brick puts his hands in his pockets, "Don't you two have a session to finish?"  
>Blossom and Bubbles' eyes grow big when being remembered of their duty.<br>"You're right," Bubbles says, walking to the door, being followed by the two other teens, "We should head back."

Then she turns around, her hand resting on the doorknob, to shoot a smirk at the redheads, "But don't think you two are off the hook. You still owe me an explanation for what you were doing when I got here."  
>The blushes return.<br>"Nothing happened!" they shout simultaneously.

The blonde chuckles and opens the door, just in time to see Boomer flash by, soon followed by a loudly cursing Butch and Buttercup who are chasing him, both red from either madness or embarrassment. Maybe the two.  
>Boomer's laughs echo through the aisle while Butch's screams resound above them, "BOOMER! You're a dead man!"<p>

The three teens in the doorway to the library blink several times in confusion and stare after them.  
>"What was that all about?" Brick asks aloud.<br>Blossom smirks when realizing she might not have been the only one passing the training room, a little earlier.  
>"Private matters" she chuckles.<p>

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><p><strong>Oh my gosh, I had so much fun writing this! ^^<br>I hope you liked!  
><strong>


	12. Chapter 12

**Hi! It's been four days, and I've still got soooo much to do,  
>but I couldn't stop myself from uploading the next chapter! ^^<strong>

**I hope you like it!  
>Don't own anything. <strong>

* * *

><p><em>"No matter what's happening<em>_ to you, it's already happening to you  
>and you could look at it in two ways<em>_:  
>Either you look at<em>_ it with a smile on your face or a frown on your face.  
>So, you might as well look at it with a smile on your face."<br>-Weylie Hoang_

Chapter twelve:

The constant bleeping of a computer fills the room.

In it are two platforms placed, attached to numerous of machines, brought in connection with them by multiple wires.  
>They are moveable and fit for a human body to lie down on. Where the arms and legs should be placed, dark leather belts have been attached to make sure that whoever lies down, stays down.<br>An iron belt secures the stomach region while a smaller plate placed perpendicular on the larger one makes sure the person can stand upright.

What looks rather strange is the big metallic orb, with multiple lights and wires on it, that is placed above the head. Complicated technology is what typifies these strange orbs. The whole scene gives a rather uneasy feeling to the ones who are supposed to lie down on the iron plates.

Blossom and Brick both gulp silently when stepping inside the room.  
>While the two stay frozen on the threshold, the professor pushes himself past them and stalks over to a large control panel.<p>

"Come on in," he smiles when seeing the two shifting redheads.  
>With a regular push of Buttercup, the two walk inside.<p>

Brick walks over to one of the iron plates and examines it. He bends over and looks intently at all the wires, switches and lights at the bottom, following them with his eyes and coming upon various computers, measuring devices and finally, the big orb.

"We have to lie down on _this_?" he asks a little startled.  
>The professor nods, not averting his eyes from the various screens in front of him.<p>

Blossom feels a shudder run down her spine, thinking of all the possible things that could happen to her if this went wrong.  
>Inwardly, she slaps herself, <em>I have to keep it together. No sense in turning back now.<em>  
>She jumps when Buttercup places a hand on her shoulder.<p>

"A little jumpy, are we?" the raven-haired teen smirks.  
>The redhead lets out a sigh.<br>The other teen gives her a encouraging smile, "It'll be alright. The professor's done this about a million times now, so he knows what he's doing."  
>Blossom glares slightly, "That's not true. He's only done it to you, Butch, Boomer and Bubbles. That makes four, not a million."<br>Buttercup grins shyly, "Yeah, well, you'll be fine. He's the one who developed this whole treatment, so you can believe me when I say that he knows what he's doing."

Hearing this, Blossom grants the other girl a small smile.

At that moment, the door swings op and in come the other three teens.  
>Butch carries in a big, metal box and puts it down next to the control panel.<br>Boomer is helping Bubbles with bringing in a rather big machine. It's been placed on a small trolley and the two teens barely manage to push it through the open doorway.

While Sandra gives them a helping hand, John looks up from his control panel and gives Brick and Blossom a nod.  
>"The systems are ready," he says with a somewhat proud smile, "Please take place on the platforms. Butch, Buttercup, can you two fasten the belts?"<br>The greens nod and walk towards the platforms, together with the redheads.

Buttercup pushes a little button and the platform is slowly being tilted, so that instead of in a horizontal pose, it makes touch with the ground in a more vertical pose.  
>Blossom hesitantly steps upon the footplate, placing her back against the cold iron of the larger plate. A shiver runs down her spine when she touches it. It was like leaning against a wall of indestructible ice.<p>

From the corner of her eye, she can see Brick standing against the other plate, his position the same as hers.  
>His eyes are fixated on Butch's hands while they tie him to the plate with thick, leather belts.<p>

Blossom looks forward to see Buttercup doing the same to her. The green-eyed girl tugs at the leather, making sure the redhead wouldn't be able to move.  
>While Buttercup's busy fastening the iron belt, Blossom asks quietly, "Does it hurt?"<br>Buttercup's hands come to a hold and she swallows, before muttering, "Like hell."  
>That doesn't help much to the nerves of the red-haired girl.<p>

"There," Buttercup says after all the secure belts are fastened as tight as they could get, "You're ready to go."  
>Blossom bites her lip and Buttercup shoots her a look, before smiling, "Don't worry. We're all here for you. We're not leaving you."<br>This makes the other girl nod and she somehow feels a little better, knowing she's not alone in this.

"Boomer, the HRM (Heart Rate Monitor). Bubbles, I want their blood pressure and heart rate on the screen", professor Utonium orders around like a pro while putting on a weird kind of glasses. They look a lot like diving glasses, actually.

Boomer rolls the machine from earlier, that he and Bubbles had brought in, further until it is standing just in between the two plates.

Watching Boomer set up the device, Blossom catches a glance of Brick.  
>He smiles at her and she manages to smile back.<p>

Bubbles walks up to them and puts a small bandage with a little wire on their wrist.  
>With a push on a button coming from Boomer, their heartbeats appear on the little monitor of the machine standing in the middle.<br>Blossom watches her own heartbeat and then asks the professor, "So, after we undergo this _treatment_ of yours, what exactly will happen?"

The professor looks up from his monitors and instead of answering, he walks over to them and checks the tightness of the belts.  
>While doing so, he finally starts talking, not looking at the girl, nor at the boy.<p>

"First of all, we'll stimulate your thoughts. You two have to regain your full memory of your previous life. It will be painful. You'll just have to endure it. Stimulating the brain by using electroshocks _is_ rather painful, after all."

He pauses for a second when hearing another gulp from the two teens, and then continues, "After that, it will take a while for your body to adjust. You might faint, but that'll be from the shock more than from the effect of the brain stimulation. But that's not all."

"Your personalities will change as will your tastes and preferences, such as taste in clothing or food, favorite music and so on. Slowly, your powers will develop further. You'll need to train them. And we still have so little time."  
>He lets out a sigh, having ended checking Brick's belts as well.<br>Then he smiles at both of them, "It will be okay. The important thing now is that we manage to bring back your memories and powers."

He gives a nod in Sandra's direction and with a nod back, the woman pushes another button on the panel, causing the two plates to being tilted again by their mechanisms, so that the two red-haired teens are lying almost horizontally.

Looking down, Blossom can see the others stand a little further away, but still within a comforting reach.  
>She sighs and looks up at the ceiling.<p>

_This is it_, she thinks, _From now on, I'll be Blossom._

"Systems on," she can hear the professor say, who has retrieved his place behind the control panel.  
>Immediately after, all of the machines begin producing metallic noises, slowly climbing in volume as if they want to overpower each other.<br>"Power gathering!"  
>The orbs hovering in the air above them slowly shove down to cover their heads.<p>

She gulps slightly, remembering why she's doing this to herself.

_I'll get to avenge my family's death. I'll become a different person._ _I don't want to remember and be hurt._

The thought of her loved ones gone forever makes her close her eyes while a single tear escapes her eye.

Then a thought occurs to her and her eyes pop open to look over at the other persons in the room.  
>Looking at all of them and finally looking at Brick, she realizes something.<p>

_I'm not alone. I found a new family._

He looks back at her and smiles. She returns his smile.

_I won't let them do it again. This time, I'm going to protect my family._

He winks.

She turns her head back to face the ceiling, still smiling warmly.

_I won't be hurt again._

_Ever._

"Ready? All systems, go!"

The next thing she knows, a horrible pain engulfs every one of her nerves.  
>She squints her eyes shut, feeling the electricity rush through her veins. Her hands clench into fists and she feels her entire body shake.<p>

Hearing a grunt beside her, she forces her eyes to open up and through narrowed eyelids, she sees Brick on the other plate, groaning in pain.  
>Sparks fly away from various places of his body and his eyes are shut tight, his fists clenched so hard that the knuckles start turning white.<br>Then her eyes snap shut again, the pain paralyzing her body and brain.

"It's no good," she suddenly hears professor Utonium say, "We need more power."

A much stronger shock seeps in through the orb on her head and she utters a scream, feeling how her body starts tingling.  
>Even Brick, beside her, can barely suppress a scream.<br>Her ears start ringing and she hears noises she didn't notice before: a leaking faucet, the snoring of a fan, the howling of wind, the creaking of shoes on the marble floor.  
>Various voices seep into her mind, saying incomprehensible things, and her head feels like splitting into two.<p>

"Professor, stop!" she hears what sounds like Bubbles' voice.  
>"Just a little more," comes the reply.<p>

Another wave hits her and she utters a scream so loud, she surprises herself.

Then, she feels herself sink away, the pain too much for her body to take.  
>All the sounds around her fall away and while it feels like her brain's been stabbed by a sword, images suddenly fill her head.<p>

A younger version of herself sitting in front of a Christmas tree with Bubbles and Buttercup, her first day of high school, fighting with her sisters and the Rowdyruff Boys and lots and lots of others.

"PROFESSOR!"  
>"IT'S DONE! POWER OFF!"<p>

The waves fade and then stop, but the pain remains. She can't manage to open her eyes.

The sound of footsteps running towards her fills her ears, who are still ringing painfully.  
>Several pairs of hands untie her.<p>

She feels like a weight presses her to the ground when they pick her up and put her on the cold floor. Yet the cold is just what she needs. It feels nice on her bare knees.  
>A pair of hands rubs her back and she hears the noises of the questions being directed to her, but she can't make out what exactly they're saying.<p>

After what seems like an endless time, the pain fades somewhat and her ears start working again.

"Blossom, can you hear me?"

She squints at the strength of the voice, and at last manages to slowly open her eyes. She looks at the forms of Bubbles and Buttercup's faces before her.  
>Their eyes widen, or at least she thinks they are, still seeing things as in a haze and tries to speak.<p>

After having found her voice, she asks hoarsely, "You look like you just saw a ghost."  
>The two others smile at her and then glance at each other.<p>

"Did it work?" the redhead asks, still being supported by both girls' arms.  
>"Well, look for yourself," Sandra suddenly says, appearing from behind Buttercup.<p>

She holds up a mirror and Blossom gasps when she stares into a pair of cherry pink eyes. She blinks several times and then tilts her head slightly to the right, frowning.

"My eyes… they're-"  
>"PINK!" Bubbles shouts, getting the attention of the others in the room, "It worked!"<p>

Blossom lets out a chuckle, but then feels her head spin and her stomach turn.

"Are you okay?" Buttercup asks, taking a hold of her shoulders.  
>She feels her eyes close and she mutters, "I feel funny."<p>

Then she falls to the ground, her run-down mind falling into the pleasant calm of unconsciousness.

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks for reading!<strong>

**Please leave a review! **


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey!**

**It's been a while since I last updated, but I had this thing going on at my school:**  
><strong>We had a 24 hours of school for charity and of course it weren't real lessons,<strong>  
><strong>it doesn't matter, I'm still wrecked. AND there was the massive amount of homework, so I'll probably be in a hurry to finish it until next Tuesday.<strong>  
><strong>Though I've been up for 27.5 hours now, I really REALLY wanted to upload the new chapter!<strong>  
><strong>See it as my apology for making you wait so long. Sorry again ^^<strong>

**Disclaimerrrr: I don't own anything.**  
><strong>I hope you enjoy and leave a review! You would do me a great favor!<strong>  
><strong>But for now, goodnight everyone! *yawn*<strong>

* * *

><p><em>"What makes you happy or unhappy is not<br>the world around you and the people around you,  
>but the thinking in your head."<br>-Anthony de Mello_

Chapter thirteen:

"_Hey, Blossom! Over here! Catch me, if you can!"_

_She laughs along and runs after her blonde sister, arms outstretched. Her pink dress flutters in the wind, moving along with her long, orange locks.  
>Her eyes never leave the girl in blue who's running in front of her, passing the young trees and colorful flowerbeds, whose sweet scents fill the air. <em>

_"Tag!" she shouts when her little finger pokes the blonde's back, "You're it, Bubbles! Catch me if you can!"  
><em>_She turns around and runs away, laughing cheerfully._

_"Hey, you guys! Don't forget about me!" she hears from behind her.  
>"Tag! Buttercup, you're it!" <em>

_She utters another laugh, not caring to look back and still running while the voices behind her fall back further and further and the surroundings change, until she's suddenly standing inside a nice looking living room._

_There's a huge couch with soft pillows on it and a big staircase, leading all the way up to the next floor. A nice fire burns in the fireplace, its heat rising the temperature of the room until it's reached a pleasant warmth.  
>But the best thing was the overly decorated, with let lights illuminated, big Christmas tree, standing right in the center of the room.<br>_

_Two girls, around the age of twelve, are sitting by it, wearing their pajamas, busy rumbling through the large pile of presents.  
><em>_Suddenly, they notice her._

_"Hey Blossom!" Buttercup shouts, "Come over here! This one's for you!"  
><em>_She smiles, walking over to them and taking the gift that's been handed to her.  
><em>

_"Who is it from?" she asks, lightly tugging at the big, pink ribbon sealing whatever was covered up.  
>"Take a guess," Buttercup grins, while Bubbles giggles.<br>A large smile crawls onto her face while she rips the red paper into little pieces.  
>Her eyes brighten and a voice suddenly calls out, "I hope you like it." <em>

_She turns around to face her dad and flies up to give him a bear hug.  
>"I love it! Thank you so much!" she says, pulling away and smiling at the book in her hands.<br>Its title was written in graceful writing and animals were on its cover, wearing different kinds of clothing: 'The animal farm', it read. _

_"Blossom, you're not wearing your pajamas yet!" Bubbles remarks, opening her own present, then pulls out a cute teddy bear and lets out a squeak.  
>"That's right, Leader Girl" Buttercup says, holding three presents in her arms, ready to tear the wrapping paper into shredders, "Go and put your pajamas on, or we can't have a pajama party, now can we?"<br>Blossom nods and flies up the stairs and into her room, the surroundings changing slightly again. Pictures disappear and are being replaced by others, the girls looking older, as does their dad._

_She opens the door to her bedroom and walks over to her mirror. _

_Sixteen-year-old Blossom stares at herself and smoothes out what little folds dared to appear on her dress. She takes the little bottle of mascara she borrowed from Bubbles for the occasion and starts on her make-up. _

_Suddenly, Bubbles barges in.  
>"Blossom, it's almost time to go. You ready?"<br>"Yeah," she says, putting down the make-up and turning to face her younger sister, who's face brightens when seeing her eldest sister.  
>"It's the first time I see you wear make-up," she smiles, walking up to her, "But you messed up a little on the eyeliner. Here, let me help you." <em>

_Blossom sits down on her bed, frolicking with the little pink ribbon on her dress, while Bubbles works her magic on her face. _

_"There, all done," Bubbles smiles after a while, "You look marvelous! I bet every boy will be looking at you!"  
>She laughs, "Haha, thanks Bubbles. But I don't know if I'd even like that."<br>"Of course you will!" she smiles, happily clasping her hands together, and then she grins, "I bet Brick will notice too."  
>Blossom turns scarlet.<br>"What are you talking about?" she says, trying to hide her blush.  
><em>_"Oh come on, Leader Girl, it's obvious you like him." _

_Her head snaps to the right to see her smirking sister standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame with her arms folded in front of her.  
>Her rough look was outweighed by the rather girly outfit she was wearing. <em>

_"Shut up, Buttercup!" she snaps, jumping to her feet, "I could say the same about you and Butch."  
>Buttercup's smirk disappears and turns into a scowl, while she storms forwards, advancing on her sister, "WHAT? I would never like that crazy, mischievous, arrogant pig!"<br>It's her time to smirk, "That's not what your blush says when you're talking to him."  
>"I DID NOT BLUSH!"<br>"YES YOU DID!"  
>"NO I DIDN'T!"<br>"__**GIRLS!**__"  
>They both turn their heads to face their sister, who's smiling.<br>"Please, no fighting, we're going to our first prom," she says, pulling them out of the door, "We have to get going! Boomer's probably waiting for me already."  
>"Yeah, yeah," they both mutter, but their moods instantly brighten when they descend the stairs and see the professor's eyes full of proud. <em>

_The four walk outside, into the dark.  
>The redhead turns back one last time, while approaching the front door. <em>

_The surroundings change once more and Blossom looks up to see the car waiting for her on her driveway._

_"I'm leaving!" she shouts, slamming the front door shut behind her and running over to the red Lamborghini, opening the door to the passenger seat.  
><em>_Slipping inside, she puts her purse on her lap, and closes the door with her free hand.  
>A muscular hand immediately grabs hers and she turns towards the driver, smiling. <em>

_"You ready?" Brick asks with his husky voice, leaning forward towards her with a big grin.  
>She gives him a kiss and smiles, "Ready." <em>

_They drive off and sooner than thought, exit the city of Townsville, heading in the direction of the beach.  
>Watching the trees pass by through her window, Blossom suddenly feels sleepy and she leans back. The world around the car dissolves like in a dream and there's only her in the car left, together with her sleepiness. Everything turns dark and flashes of memories race by, disappearing into the deep depths of her heart, filling her with a warm feeling.<em>

Her eyes open and she finds herself staring at a pink ceiling.  
>Still feeling a little numb, she decides to stay in bed for just a little bit longer. Her hands, lying on either sides of her, squeeze the soft covers. A small sigh escapes her lips and she smiles to herself.<p>

_It's been a while since I had such a nice dream_, she thinks, remembering the pleasant blinks a couple of times and slowly gets up, noticing how heavy her head feels.  
>In an attempt to rub her temples, her fingers come upon strange textile.<br>Following the edge of the thick bandage placed on her head, she notices it goes from covering her forehead to her ears, where the bandage is (if possible) even thicker, and all the way around her skull.  
>What seems strange to her is that, despite the fact that she's looking like a huge cotton bud, her ears catch up even the slightest sound.<p>

She rubs the little part of her forehead that isn't covered, making small circles with her fingers, while she tries to remember what happened.  
>Slowly, the images start coming back.<br>Her eyes snap open wide and she searches the room for a mirror, her eyes landing on the large heart-shaped mirror placed above the pink make-up table.

Throwing her feet over the edge of the bed, she becomes a little dizzy, the result of getting up too quickly.  
>She stumbles over to the mirror and stares at herself, or mostly, her eyes.<p>

_Pink._

She doesn't know why, but she feels the need to smile.

_I'm back_, she thinks, smiling at her own reflection.

Her eyes examine the bandage and she can't help but think of how weird it looks.  
><em>Oh well<em>, she shrugs inwardly, _I'll find out what exactly happened later on. For now, I feel kinda hungry._

As if on cue, her stomach growls silently. Placing a hand on her belly, she looks at the pink nightgown she's wearing.  
>She smiles when seeing the tiny little hearts printed on the textile and plucks at the boarder of neck opening.<p>

_He still held my nightgown, after all these years_, she thinks, smiling.  
>Suddenly, realization strikes her while her hands fall to her sides and her eyes widen.<br>_I've got my memories back! I remember everything! _

She places a hand to her bandaged up head, a nostalgic smile on her features.

_It's strange. I have my memories of a life as a Powerpuff back, but I also still hold most of my memories from my second life.  
>From my life as Kaitlin.<br>_She lowers her hand to place it on her chin, and a thoughtful look fills up her eyes, when thinking about the last memory she can recall.  
><em>But… I can't recall how I died. I remember the plan, and the moment we went out to fight Felaket. But, I can't remember if we defeated him or not… I should ask the professor about it.<br>The professor! The others! I should go talk to them!_

Suddenly, a head-splitting pain goes through her brain and she grunts while putting her hands on the sides of her head, clenching her teeth in a way to lessen the pain.

Her head's still spinning when she hears the door open.  
>Turning around, she sees Bubbles come inside, who in return, immediately rushes over to her.<p>

"Blossom!" she shouts, helping her sister back onto her bed, "You shouldn't walk around yet. You got a pretty bad blow from yesterday. It's surprising, actually, that you've already woken up."

With a grunt the girl sits down on the bed and then looks up at Bubbles with shimmering pink eyes.  
>"Bubbles," she whispers.<br>"Yeah?" the blue-eyed girl asks, slightly confused.  
>"Bubbles!"<p>

The next moment the blonde's been taken into a tight hug by the orange-haired girl.  
>Bubbles is too surprised to react at first and slowly returns the hug.<br>Pulling away but not letting go yet, Blossom smiles broadly at her youngest sister, who in return, asks with a smile, "Uh, Bloss? What's gotten into you?"  
>"I remember!" she chuckles, "I remember everything! It worked, didn't it? The Multiple Reincarnation? I knew it would work!"<br>Small tears of hapiness sting Bubbles' overjoyed eyes and she too laughs, "Yes, Blossom! It worked! We're all back together now!"

Suddenly, the redhead's eyes widen a little when she asks with an overly concerned tone, "Where's Brick? Is he alright?"  
>"Yes, he is. He's in his room, sleeping," the blonde grins broadly at her sister's caring attitude while the other girl releases a deep sigh of relief, "He blacked out right after you. He hasn't woken up once yet, but seeing you're up and full of energy again, it can't take long until he wakes up as well."<br>Blossom nods and then gives her sister another hug.  
>"I'm so happy to be back, Bubbles. Now I remember all the good times we had together, fighting monsters, our birthday parties and Christmas Eve with the professor. I can't believe I forgot how I loved those times."<br>"I missed you too, Blossom," the blonde squeezes her sister, but the redhead didn't really care, too happy to see her sister back.

Another wave of pain numbs her mind and she hastily holds her head with both hands, the dizzy feeling returning.  
>Bubbles lets go and pushes her down on the bed again, into the softness of her pink pillows.<p>

"Try not to move too much," she says, tucking her sister in like she were her nanny, "The amount of energy you two got was great. You shouldn't force yourself now. Just rest for a couple of days, until you feel better."  
>The other girl nods and she yawns, only now realizing how much effort her whole scene had cost.<p>

"One more thing," she asks, gaining the blonde's full attention, "What's with this weird bandage. It makes my head feel so heavy."  
>"It's for your hearing," she explains, "Your body has to get used to super hearing again. Your brain wouldn't take all the noise if it were not for the bandage. You can take it off within two or three days. That should be enough for your body to accustom to your new senses."<br>Blossom nods once more, almost having forgotten she had super hearing too.  
>Closing her eyes, she can hear Bubbles turn off the light and mumble, "Good night, Blossom. Good to have you back."<br>While turning to lie on her side, she chuckles, "Good night, Bubbles. Good to be back."

The door closes, as do her thoughts, leaving her alone to wander off to the garden of dreams.

* * *

><p>Sandra Keane is standing in the kitchen, behind her with granite topped cabinet. With fluent and equal moves, foreseen of her trusty cutter, she cuts the vegetables in little pieces.<br>The chopping sound of the knife piercinh the green stalks of the celery fills the kitchen, accompanied by a short yet hard thud when the blade hits the wooden cutting board the celery is lying on.  
>When in one swift move she does another stalk, she blows away a little strand of hair that had gotten before her eyes.<br>A sideways movement of her head and her black hair falls gracefully into place again.

Behind her, the kitchen table is standing, still empty and she glances back from her cutting to give it a tired look.  
>Just then, the door barges open and Butch and Buttercup walk inside, talking loudly to one another, both carrying serious faces.<p>

Sandra's face brightens when her help arrives as on cue.  
>"Butch, Buttercup, would you please lay out the table for me?"<p>

The two greens look in her direction and give her a nod, then walk off to the cupboards to take out the forks, knives, spoons and whatever else a person needs to eat in a decent way.

With a satisfied smile, Sandra turns back to cutting vegetables and putting them in an iron cooking pot.  
>Humming a little tune, she overhears the greens' conversation about box matches.<p>

The next to walk in is Boomer.  
>He sniffles in the air when his nose picks up the sweet scent of food and stalks over to the counter.<p>

"What are we having for dinner?" he asks while trying to snatch away a piece of baked beef.  
>"Stew," Sandra says, giving a light smack on his hand to try and save her meal.<br>"Yuk!" Butch shouts from the other side of the kitchen while balancing a plate on his nose.  
>"Love it," Boomer says, licking his fingertips, his inhuman speed too fast for her to prevent him from snatching away her ingredients.<br>"Now, now, if you're only here to eat all of my food you might as well make yourself useful while doing so," she says, pushing him away from the counter, "Would you like to help me by cleaning the carrots?"  
>"Sure thing," Boomer replies, taking the bag of carrots and emptying it in the little basin next to the sink, which he first filled with water.<br>"Still no sign of the reds?", Butch shatters the more or less cheerful mood that had accumulated in the kitchen.

Boomer turns off the tap while his hands stays on the grey lever, his smile slowly fading into a grimace of concern.  
>Butterup puts the plate she had snapped from Butch's dangerous grasp to her chest and lowers her head.<br>Sandra, alarmed by the silence following Butch's phrase, turns around, the towel still enclosed around her hands and puts up a reassuring smile.

"No, they're still asleep. But there's no need to worry. John said they could wake up any moment. And besides, their bodies heal faster when they're asleep so why not let them snooze just a little further?" She winks at all of the hopeful faces she gets and then orders, "Now, back to work. Your meals won't cook themselves, you know?"

Sandra was known for being good with children, but she did wonders on the moods of teens. No mood was too low for her to cheer up, and that was one of the things why John loved her so much.  
>This he reminded himself of when he overheard her little talk, standing behind the kitchen door, a smile gracing his features.<br>Oh yes, he loved her dearly.

After having had his little moment of fun, in which he had recalled all the positive things about his wife, he finally opens the door and walks inside.  
>The most delicious smells arise from the cabinet while two raven-haired teens are already sitting at the table, both holding a knife and a fork, eager to dig in the moment the food would reach the table.<p>

John walks up to Sandra, gives her a surprise-kiss and then goes to sit down at the table as well, planning on reading the newspaper while his food is being prepared for him.  
>But just when his bottom is about to touch the flat surface of the chair, the door flies open and an exited Bubbles runs inside.<p>

"Blossom has woken up!" she calls out.  
>The others, who all had their heads turned towards the blonde, make a little jolt, ready to rush up the stairs.<p>

Again, it is John who prevents them from doing so.  
>"Calm down everyone. She'll need her rest and we can't just barge in and get her downstairs. Besides, Brick's not even up yet. For now, let's all settle down and have dinner."<p>

As if on cue, Sandra sets down the stewpot on a spot right in front of him.  
>"Dinner's served," she says with a broad smile.<br>The greens look like someone just gave them a present and fill their plates with Sandra's home-made stew.  
>Sandra gets John his plate and fills one for Bubbles and an extra for Blossom.<p>

"Bubbles? Would you want to bring Blossom her food for me?" she asks with a warm smile.  
>"Right away!" Bubbles exclaims, taking the plate from her.<br>With a quick thank and a nod, she exits the kitchen and walks up the stair.

Meanwhile, the others eat like any other family would: happily and eagerly. Bringing his spoon to his mouth, John cracks a smile, seeing his own little family all together. _Now we're truly one big family again.  
><em>With this last warm thought, he, too, digs in.

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><p><strong>Thanks for reading :)<strong>


	14. Chapter 14

**Hello, dear readers!  
>Sorry for the long delay. I've been writing on the story and making drawings <strong>**in my free time ^^'  
>This chapter's a bit longer, a lot of explaining in here, and you finally get to know all there is to know about the past.<strong>

I hope you'll enjoy!  
>I don't own the Powerpuff Girls, but hey, none of us do, right? Only Craig McCracken does. ;)<p>

**Please oh please, leave a review :D**

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><p><em>"A smile is the lighting system of the face, the cooling system of the head<br>and the heating system of the heart."  
>-Unknown<em>

Chapter fourteen:

The light of the morning sun penetrates through the blinds in little rays. They are only fractions of the massive amount of energy the sun blasts in our direction every second of the day, yet they are enough to wake up the red-haired girl, who's lying on the bed set against one of the walls. While the little rays land upon her face, they sting her eyes and she moans while turning on her other side, away from the sealed-off window.  
>But to her misfortune, her brain has already registered the beginning of the day. Going back to sleep won't work, so she decides to try and open her tired eyes.<p>

When she does, she's faced with a chair and on it, a tray which holds an empty plate and glass, all that was left from her dinner she ate the other night. She blinks her eyes and then cracks a smile while she pushes herself up. When she does, she's blinded by a ray of light that seeps in through one of the spots the blinds couldn't cover up.  
>She rubs her pink eyes and looks around, overseeing the mess she had made by tossing and turning in her sleep.<p>

While stretching her arms, she can't suppress a big yawn.  
>She looks to her right and sees the bandage lying on the bedside table, next to the little lamp. Touching her temples and staring at it, she remembers how it used to block her hearing.<p>

There are times she misses it, for example when the professor was singing way too loud in the shower again, or Bubbles was doing karaoke with Boomer. Though they both had a great singing voice, it was impossible to ignore when you tried to read, sleep, study or, simply, tried to relax. She remembers when she was little how she could block out the noises and only use her power when needed.

"I have to work on that," she mutters to herself while climbing out of bed.  
>Her powers are still unstable and she needs to learn how to control them again.<br>She chuckles when realizing she feels actually quite thrilled to start training again.

Humming a tune that randomly struck her mind, she sits down before the mirror and takes out her old brush and bow.  
>She starts brushing her long, silk locks, enjoying the comforting feeling of the brush gliding through her hair and smoothing it out.<br>She always liked that.

Another memory pops into her mind while thinking of brushing, one that makes her blush from embarrassment.

_That's right. There was this one time where Bubbles and Buttercup ruined my hair… I looked like a freak._

Sighing, she lies down the brush and pulls her hair back. Then she picks up her bow.

_I hope I didn't forget how to do this_, she thinks while tying it around her red ponytail.

The other drawer opens and her thin hand takes out the heart-clip. The little pink clip makes a clicking sound when she puts it in her hair.  
>Shoving her chair back, she looks at the result and smiles.<p>

_I'm starting to look like me again_, she says to herself while putting away the brush.

Just when the drawer shuts, her door opens, letting the visitor enter the room.  
>Her eyes shift to look at the one intruding her little moment for herself, but her eyes light up when she sees an awfully familiar, dressed in red teen, with a hair color very similar to hers, piercing crimson red eyes and of course the ever-present cap: Brick.<p>

When his eyes land on her, he smirks with a pleasance that instantly reminds her of the good old Brick she once fought and befriended.

"Haven't you learned to knock?" she asks with a smirk of her own.  
>He grins, while closing the door, "I never used to, so why would I now?"<br>She shakes her head with a smile and then looks back up at him, noticing that he's also still in his pajamas.

"How are you doing?" she asks, shoving her chair away from the mirror.  
>"Better," he says, walking over to sit on the bedside, "How about you?"<br>She nods, "Better. Still headaches though."  
>"Tell me about it," he utters a grunt, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees, "They're killing me. And then there's the singing."<br>"Singing?" she asks with a surprised look.  
>"The professor," he says, shaking his head, "I can hear him sing from under the shower every morning. Super hearing isn't always good to have."<br>She stifles a laugh and he smirks.

"Like your hair," he says after a while, standing up and coming towards her.  
>While he's towering above her, she mutters with a smile, "Thanks. It's the same as always, though."<br>He runs his fingers through her soft locks and smirks, "Doesn't matter. I missed it."  
>"Even the bow?" she giggles.<br>His smirk grows wider, "Even the bow."  
>"Well, I missed the cap," she says, reaching out to grab it and puts it on her lap, rubbing the textile between her fingers while smiling at it with a nostalgic smile.<br>A lot of memories fill her mind, ones she hadn't thought of up until now.

Brick bends down and places one knee on the pink carpet, while looking at her on eye-level.  
>"I really missed you, Blossy," he whispers, stroking her hands that still hold his cap.<br>She smiles, looking up at him, "I missed you too, Brick."  
>In the dark of her room, she can see him smile.<br>"C'mere," he mutters, pulling her into a hug.

She sighs happily while letting him pull her forward and puts her hands against his chest.  
>"I missed you so much," she mutters in the dark.<br>Listening to his heartbeat, she stays silent after that.  
>They both do.<p>

That is, until an earsplitting voice makes them both jump up in opposite directions out of utter surprise, releasing one another.  
>"<em>One for the moneeey, two for the shooow!"<em> the professor's voice and the sound of flowing water make them both look at each other wide-eyed for a moment and then burst into laughter.  
>Ignorant of the hilarity in the other part of the house, John Utonium keeps singing his lungs out while the hot water relaxes his muscles and mind.<p>

* * *

><p>"Ready?" he asks, staring at her with his crimson red eyes.<br>She looks up at him with her cherry pink ones and nods, "Ready."

They open the door together and look into the kitchen. Six pairs of eyes, all different in color, look up at them and widen almost simultaneously.  
>The pair steps inside, Brick closing the door behind them.<br>They stand in the space between the kitchen table, where everyone's seated, and the door, where they just had walked in through.

"Blossom! Brick!", the other four teens shout and immediately after, chairs are being shoved back and four pairs of legs run over to them.

What follows then for the two redheads is a massive amount of questions, shouts, pets on the back and hugs, but most of all, smiles.

"Calm down, everyone," John's loud voice sounds above the noise.  
>"Good to see you two are up," Sandra smiles, placing down another pile of pancakes, "And just in time for breakfast too. Please have a seat."<p>

The six walk back to the table and sit down.  
>From the moment he's seated, Butch grabs his fork and with a swift move snatches away a dozen of pancakes to place them on his plate. He digs in, on a very Butch-like manner (which means <em>table manners are for sissies<em>).

Brick walks past him in order to get to his chair and when he sees his brother stuffing himself full like a pig, he hits him against the head.

"Hey!" Butch turns around and glares.  
>"Watch your manners," Brick says sternly while sitting down on his seat next to Boomer.<br>Butch continues eating with his glare glued to his eldest brother and grumbles, "Back for two freakin' minutes and already bossin' me around."  
>Hearing this, Brick smirks, "Better get used to it."<p>

"Haha! Butch got lectured!" Buttercup laughs with a pleasant grin and then digs in too, taking her plate in her hands and leaning back while placing her feet on the table.  
>"Buttercup!" Blossom snaps, "Get your feet off the table!"<br>Buttercup stares at her with an annoyed look, the pancake she took with her fork only inches away from her opened mouth.  
>But when she sees the dark glare she's been given, she scowls and slowly takes her feet off.<p>

"You were saying?" Butch remarks with a huge grin, while leaning towards her.  
>"Shut up!" she replies and punches him square in the face.<p>

Seeing his two favorite greens being all energetic so early in the morning, the professor can't help but sigh, "It feels like nothing at all has changed."  
>Bubbles giggles and then she nibbles on the fork and the piece of pancake in her mouth. Boomer smiles at her while eating his own pancake, with lots and lots of syrup.<p>

* * *

><p>For the following half an hour, they would eat in harmony, no one trying to ask a question to one another, because everyone knew of the professor's wish to eat in peace, without official matters there to be discussed.<p>

That's why everyone's acting like nothing happened and waiting patiently until the professor lays down his fork, takes his napkin and wipes his mouth with a shy move and closed eyes.  
>Everyone watches how his eyes snap open and peer around the table, and how he slowly lowers the napkin again.<p>

Then, with a short cough in order to clear his throat, he says, "Now, to get back to important matters, let's all go to the living room to discuss our current situation. And I would like to hear a few things from Blossom and Brick too."  
>He gives a nod in the direction of the two, shoves his chair back and stands up while saying, "Boomer, Bubbles, you have cleaning duty."<p>

While the others stand up as well, some more forceful than others going from greens to reds, the blues disappear into a flash of high-speed light and clear the table in no time.  
>Under the lead of professor Utonium, the group moves to the living room and everyone takes a seat in either one of the armchairs, on the sofa or seeks for a nearby standing chair.<p>

When everyone's settled down, the professor crosses one leg over the other and leans back in his armchair, glancing at his wife who's sitting on a chair next to him.  
>From his position, with hands folded together, he glances around the room until his eyes find the two redheads:<br>Blossom's seated in between her sisters on the sofa and Brick is slumped down in one of the other armchairs, next to Boomer. Butch has found himself a chair, turned it around and sat down with his arms crossed and leaning onto the back of the seating.

After a long pause in which everyone glances at everyone, John's neutral face lights up considerably and turns into a wide-eyed smile.  
>With a short laugh, he shouts, "You don't know how happy I am to see us all together here!"<br>The others all smile and exchange glances, when he continues, "Now that Blossom and Brick have finally rejoined us, our group is complete once again. Well then, I'm quite sure our two favorite reds are eager to hear what has happened while they were gone for so long, but first, I'd like to hear from them what exactly they remember."

Brick glances at Blossom and she glances back.  
>Not waiting on a reaction any further, Blossom opens her mouth to speak, "Well, I-"<br>"My memories have all returned but one," Brick interrupts her as on cue, like he had been waiting for her to start speaking just for the fun of interrupting her.  
>Blossom scowls at him and the mischievous grin he gives her in return makes her cross her arms with a huff and fall back into the couch.<br>This all happened in a flash, so Brick turns his attention back to the man in white lab coat sitting in front of him.

"As I was saying", he says, crossing his arms, "I remember everything from my birth to my death, my rebirth to death again, but I simply can't seem to remember how our battle with Felaket went. But I guess we lost, seeing how we were reborn and all. I remember agreeing on trying to do a surprise attack on the invasion he was leading and also about having a plan B, which was the Multiple Reincarnation, but then there's a hole."

Blossom nods, sitting up straighter and turning to speak to the elder man, "It's the same with my memory. I remember the night before the attack and that we went out and landed in the middle of a storm, but I don't remember what happened next," she looks at her hands while she runs her fingers across her jeans, "I only know there was a bright light and I was flying. Then there's a hole of four years and then memories of my new life."  
>"So," Brick continues, "What we'd like to know is, how did the fight go? How did we do?"<p>

The silence hangs thick in the air when Brick's words disappear into the emptiness of the room.  
>The only sound that follows next is the ticking of the wall clock. It makes it easy to know just how many seconds of silence pass: exactly three.<p>

Then Boomer speaks up, "I'll tell them."  
>With a nod of professor Utonium and a smile from Sandra and Bubbles, he turns his attention towards Brick and Blossom, who are both looking at him with a glint of curiosity in their eyes.<p>

With that, Boomer starts telling his little tale:

_Here's what happened. We were in the house, your house, the Powerpuff Girls' house. You know, right? The white one with the big windows?  
>Yeah, well, we were there and all and trying to get ready for the final battle. <em>

_That's when it started to rain. Thunder and lightning struck like clashing titans in the sky and the day and night seemed to have switched times. The clouds were so thick and the rain and wind so hard, that I really thought I would freeze at a certain moment._

But here's what we did: we managed to fight back the first and the second lines of enemies, but we got a much harder time with the third, fourth and fifth ones. On the ground, our men, all part of the Resistance, fought bravely against the aliens.  
>And the six of us were fighting in the air.<p>

_Felaket, that bastard, had hidden himself inside a giant robot and attacked us, and even though we damaged the thing pretty hard, he still kept fighting.  
>You know that this was our final stand, because, once they would have conquered Townsville, they could have easily conquered the other regions. So we couldn't let him win and we had to stop him, at any cost.<br>But we lost great numbers and in the end, we ourselves were too worn-out to fight further. _

_That's when we did… the Multiple Reincarnation.  
>Well, we really put together our powers to form an attack powerful enough to hold them off for a relatively long time.<br>And thanks to the Reincarnation, we survived our own attack. Or else, we would have disappeared into thin air. With a big Poof-sound and lots of magic sparkles!_

Boomer, his imagination getting the better of him, is making strange movements with his arms, like he's a magician in the greatest show of the world who just has made an elephant disappear.  
>Brick and Blossom remain silent while the rest stares at them (and partly at Boomer too of course).<p>

"So, that's it? we just died?" Brick asks, looking down with a troublesome face.  
>Blossom only puts her hands in front of her mouth, thinking everything through.<br>"Well, we didn't do all that bad," Buttercup says, crossing her hands behind her back, "We managed to keep them away from the city, and that was our mission, so I say _Mission accomplished_."  
>"Yes, but Buttercup," Bubbles interferes, "We were aiming on destroying them or at least drive them off once and for all. Yet we failed."<p>

At this, Butch, eager to step in on the discussion, jolts up, raising his fists in the air, "So **what** if we didn't destroy them? We kicked their sorry butts! Hell yeah, we totally beat the crap out of them! We won! We'll just show them pussies again, the next time we see them, that they better not mess with these superheroes!"  
>"Butch, calm down," Sandra sighs, making him sit down again, but with slow movements and an irritated scowl on his face.<br>"But, what about the rebellions?" Blossom's voice suddenly cuts the silence, "Where are they? Are we still an organization? And where did all the scientists go?"

Professor Utonium interrupts her and smiles, "I was just going to come to that topic. As you all recall, before we even knew about the Multiple Reincarnation, we had formed a group of rebellions and called ourselves the Repression. It was our only way to fight against the aliens, after the six of you got defeated the first time you tried to battle Felaket and his army."

" Well, after the six of you… perished.., we were at a loss. The next months we spent searching for you. Our losses had been great, so we were at a lack of members, but as became clear that the enemy would return, more and more people came knocking at our door. People who had lost their family, their job or their house during the war with Felaket came now to us to offer their help. When you were fighting, we were only a small group of rebellions. But now, our organization consists of hundreds of members, all from different origins: citizens, politicians, a staff of scientists and even some former enemies joined us in the end. Enemies like Mojo Jojo, Princess Morbucks, Sedusa and a regular amount of thieves and ex-culprits assist us in our fight."

"Wait, the monkey's back?" Butch remarks, tilting his head slightly.  
>"Princess Morbucks? Are you sure, professor?" Blossom asks, remembering the countless arguments she has shared with the stuck-up teenage girl and her arrogant attitude.<br>"I know it must be hard for you to believe, Blossom, but she's actually our most important benefactor. It's thanks to her capital that we can develop all our inventions and build new bases," is his reply.  
>Blossom, still not too convinced, asks, "And where are they operative? In one of our bases?"<br>"Most of them are in headquarters nowadays, which we moved to DC, seeing how a big part of our bases got destroyed not too long ago."  
>"Wait, what are you talking about?" Buttercup shouts suddenly, jerking herself away from the couch.<p>

The professor rubs the bridge of his nose in a very troubled way, like a bad memory just popped into his head, and then looks back up to face the teens.  
>"Sandra and I originally planned on not telling you this or at least wait for a few more days, but the situation is getting rather urgent. You see, not long after we rescued Blossom from the enemy's grasp, Felaket started an attack on the inhabitants of Earth. Two weeks ago, his army landed in the region of East China and he has been on a military campaign ever since. Armies have fallen and the whole of South Asia has already been taken over."<p>

Suddenly, he reaches for something under his chair and pulls a bag from under the furniture. The bag zips open and from it, the professor takes out a small laptop and pulls up the screen, so that the systems of the little computer flip on.  
>With a click of the mouse, a map appears and he turns the laptop around so that everyone can take a good look at what he is about to show.<p>

"Here," he points at a small dot located somewhere in the Rocky Mountains, "is our current position. As we look at the map of Asian, we can see how the aliens' army has conquered a region, going from India all the way to Japan."  
>And indeed, by a magic click of the mouse given by the professor, almost the entire map of South Asia colors a bright orange.<br>"He's headed towards Europe, but we also located patrol aircrafts heading our direction. It is only a matter of time before they find us."

With a clap he shuts the screen of the laptop again.

They all remain silent for just a second, before this tensed muteness is broken by Buttercup's angered voice, "Why didn't you tell us this? Shouldn't we know when our planet gets attacked?"  
>"We found it better for you to not have to worry about it," Sandra declares before her husband could, "Especially seeing Blossom and Brick's conditions. We decided to tell you when they were better."<br>"How is this possible? How can they have beaten us when we knew they were coming?" asks Blossom a little absentmindedly, her eyes staring at the coffee table with a troubled look in them.  
>The professor looks at his daughter and mutters, "They have developed a new weapon."<p>

At this, she looks up at him, together with the others in the room.  
>"What kind of new weapon?" Butch asks rather suspiciously.<br>"We don't know what it is yet, but it is very powerful. From the few rapports we received, most of them coming from eyewitnesses, it is some kind of supersonic controlled laser. All say the same: _there was a shrill noise and then everything just crashed down_. Tanks exploded, computers and mobiles shut down, cars caught fire, that kind of things. All that by a single shot."

"Oh god," Bubbles gasps while placing her hands before her mouth, "How horrible."  
>Blossom bites her lip while looking at her sister.<br>"How is the situation there?" she asks while receiving a worried look from Bubbles.  
>"We cannot tell for sure," the professor answers, shaking his head, "But it surely isn't any good. Most likely the people are being suppressed, if they haven't been killed yet. That's why it is so important that you and Brick regain control over your powers. That way, you can infiltrate in the stricken countries and help our teams that are still out there with evacuating the remaining citizens."<p>

The six teens all give him an either bewildered or forlorn look.  
>"So? What do we do now?" Buttercup suddenly remarks while clenching her hands into two solemn fists.<br>"The first thing we do is get back to training. For now, headquarters is taking care of the situation in Asia, and they are waiting for us to join them as soon as possible," John says as an answer to her question.  
>"We're going to DC?" Boomer asks.<br>The professor nods.  
>"Now, let's all prepare for training. I meet you all in five minutes, before the training room. You can go now."<p>

They all stand up, but the professor and Blossom trail a little behind.  
>When the others are out of sight, she walks up to her father and smiles, "It's so good to see you again, professor."<br>He smiles as well, as lovingly as a father does. And while he takes her in a tight hug, he says, "I missed you so much, Blossom. It's good to have you back with us."  
>"How much time do we have?" she asks from underneath her father's embrace.<br>He understands that she's talking about the invasion.  
>He swallows before mumbling quietly, "Not much."<p>

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><p><strong>Thank you so much for reading! ^^<br>I hope to upload the next chapters soon, but I'm still writing and checking them on grammar mistakes.  
>Hope to see you later! :D<strong>


	15. Chapter 15

**Oh boy, oh boy! Training has started for Blossom! :D**  
><strong>I really like writing these kind of chapters ^_^<strong>

**Usual disclaimer: I own nothing from The Powerpuff Girls**

**Please enjoy ! :))**

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><p><em>"Beginnings are scary. Endings are usually sad, but it's the middle that counts the most. "<br>-Unknown_

Chapter fifteen:

A pair of small feet hastily runs down the stairs. Two blonde pigtails trail behind while they run down the aisles at top speed.

_Why do I always take so long to change?,_ Bubbles scolds herself inwardly while heading towards the training room.  
>The ribbon she has made of a blue band, which serves as a belt, flutters by the speed she makes.<p>

It takes her less than two more seconds to reach her destination, yet all the others are already waiting for her outside.  
>"Finally," Buttercup snaps, "What took ya so long? Got lost in your wardrobe?"<br>"No!" Bubbles grants her a glare, "It just took me a while to get the right outfit. Other than you, I do care about my appearance."  
>Buttercup balls her fists and growls, "Don't push my buttons, Blondie. I've been dying to punch something. You would serve just fine."<p>

Bubbles, _slightly_ intimidated by Buttercup's ominous looking expression, shrieks and is ready to flee when Blossom pulls her hotheaded sister back.  
>"Cut it out, Buttercup," she mutters, "You can fight once we're inside the training room."<br>"Hey! It's not my fault the professor's taking so long!" she shouts, slapping away Blossom's hand from her shoulder, "I haven't had a serious training for ages and I desperately need to kick some alien butt!"  
>"I know whatcha mean" Butch grumbles while stuffing his hands inside his pockets, "My fists are aching for something to hit and yet I'm stuck with all of you."<br>The others grant him a glare while he only shrugs and gets back to rubbing the tip of his shoe against the ground.

Muffled voices sound from the other side of the aisle and our six heroes, all dressed in a comfortable-fitting training suit, all in their respective color, turn their heads to see the elder couple walk up to them.

Strange enough, Sandra Keane is walking ahead, her steps short and confident.  
>The look on John's face is less assured as he trots after her.<p>

"Alright everyone," Sandra says with a rather creepy-looking swing of her head, complete with balled fists on the hips, "Let's get this training started! Oh yeah!"

The six teens who have never seen their beloved adopted mother behave like a twenty year old ninja trainer blink several times at her.  
>The professor catches up to her, laughing out of embarrassment, and puts a hand on her shoulder.<br>"Sandra," he begins, "I only asked you to come to control the panel, not to fight along with them."  
>The ex-teacher turns around with a hard face and exclaims, "These children need a decent education and if you insist on making them fight, fine! But it'll be under my keen eye!"<p>

Professor Utonium sighs and gives a tired look at Butch, who smirks in response.  
>"Please go easy on her, okay?" he rubs his temples at the triumphant smile he gets from the teenage boy, "Don't hurt her, just scare her off."<br>"Hah! You'll never scare me off! For the sake of education!"  
>"Yeah, yeah," Butch stifles a laugh while opening the door for her, "After you, Miss Priss."<p>

Exactly twenty-five seconds later, the door opens again, and Sandra Keane comes outside, trembling and pale from fear.  
>"Okay," she mutters, "I'll handle the control panel, for now. You just be careful."<br>With that said, John lovingly puts an arm around her shoulders and with a small smile leads his frightened wife over to one of the chairs.

"Can we at last start the training?" Buttercup growls.  
>Not even waiting for someone to nod or say a response, she walks over to the entrance of the training room and pushes the metal door open wide.<p>

* * *

><p>The six have been divided into two groups: Blossom, Boomer and Buttercup are teaming up against Bubbles, Brick and Butch.<p>

While tension fills the room, they all continue to stare at their opponents, waiting for the other to make the first move.  
>Seconds pass by, all standing in fighting stands, until suddenly the adrenaline becomes too much for hothead Butch to handle. The green-eyed boy storms forward, giving the others the signal they have been waiting for.<br>All that can be seen next are flashes of blue, green and red.

From all of them, Blossom is the one to have most trouble with flying. Her track keeps changing directions and she finds it difficult to slow down. Lucky enough for her, the room is in fact a high-tech simulator, in which she can't cause too much damage.  
>The professor chose a building site as the scenery of their training today. With its large structures and many machines and cars, it is the perfect obstacle court to train your flying.<p>

With a lot of effort, Blossom manages to come to a stop, just in front of a large bulldozer.  
>She stares up at the yellow monster-like piece of machinery, when someone calls out, "Yo, Pinky! Over here!"<p>

She turns to see Butch hovering in the air above her, smirking.  
>"Let's see how your fighting skills are," he grins and flies towards her at full speed, like a raging bull.<br>Blossom's eyes widen when she sees the nearing danger and instinctively ducks before his fist can hit her.

Pulling his fist out of the yellow metal of what used to be the big bulldozer, Butch turns short and smirks at her with an uneasy pleasance.  
>"Coming at you again," he mutters while getting into action in less than a split second.<br>Registering his moves, Blossom jumps out of the way and blasts into the air, hoping to shrug him off. She realizes how big of a mistake it is when she starts losing her balance again. But from up here, she has a nice view of the place.

She could see Bubbles fighting Boomer. Yet there was no sign of Brick or Buttercup.  
>But Butch didn't grant her much time to think about it, because he too dashes off into the sky with a blinding streak of green light trailing behind him.<p>

Blossom tries to shake him off by flying low and high and doing all sorts of moves she half-remembered from the past. But nothing could work when she couldn't fly properly.  
>"Your flyin' is ludicrous!" she hears him shout from behind her.<br>Blossom frowns, partly from the insult and partly from the surprise of Butch knowing the word _ludicrous_. But mostly from the insult.  
>She was trying her best, for goodness sake! It was only her first day!<p>

Suddenly and completely out of nowhere, he pops up in front of her and raises his fist and punches it in her direction.  
>Blossom yelps when she barely manages to dodge it. Another punch and another duck, accompanied by a punch aimed for the gut.<br>How she manages to dodge that one, she didn't know herself, but she had more important worries at the moment.

"You're taking this way too serious," she scowls, after having dodged another punch that missed her by a hair.  
>"No, you're taking this too light," he says, launching his fist forward again.<br>Again, she dodges, but she didn't see the other one coming.

When his fist bores itself into her stomach region, she lets out a loud gasp for air, while clutching her belly and being catapulted towards the ground.  
>Holographic pavement or not, it still hurts when she crashes into it, leaving a holographic hole in the middle of the holographic street.<p>

Blossom's anger rises and she jumps out of the crater, granting the descending Butch a dark glare.  
>"Are you insane?" she screeches, "What was that for?"<br>"It's training," he replies, crossing his arms with a smug, "If ya can't handle it, go to your dear ol' professor for comfort."  
>"Leave the professor out of this," she growls with a low voice.<br>"Aw, did Pinky say something?" Butch continues teasing, "Don't worry, I'm sure _daddy _will take care of it. Oh, boohoohoo, poor liwwle Blossy's got her butt kicked by the bully Butch."

He was now making childish faces with his hands clasped together, still hovering in the air though.  
>"Butch, you're being pathetic. Cut it out!" she shouts, clenching her fists.<br>The childish Butch was gone in a snap and the scowling Butch was back, "Why don't ya make me?"

That was the drop.  
>Blossom, being a leader, had never ever turned down a challenge. And no one ever made fun of her family and could live to tell it. Now surely wouldn't be any different.<p>

With Butch still finishing his last insult, she jumps up into the air, throwing herself in Butch's direction and surprising said boy with her sudden speed.  
>While anger fills her, Blossom throws a devastating punch at the boy, who in turn dodges it with his arm. Another one and another dodge, with his left arm this time.<br>A glare boring itself into a smirk.  
>"Come on. You can do better than that, right?" he teases through gritted teeth.<br>"I'll show you, you pig," she growls and instantly pushes him back and advances on him again.

* * *

><p>They keep fighting for a while, until Blossom begins to feel the tiredness of throwing super punch after super punch creep into her muscles.<br>While she hovers in the air, panting a little, Butch glares, "You're not getting tired, are ya? Man, you're really pathetic!"

Before she could reply, there was pain.  
>She didn't see his blow coming and only realizes it happened when she feels herself speed towards the ground again.<br>However, she manages to turn her body around, just before the impact.

Making contact with the ground, her feet bore themselves deep into the pavement and leave a trail behind while she keeps sliding backwards. With one hand on the ground for support and the other on her chest, she stays bowed over for a while, panting rather heavily.  
>Butch lands a good ten meters away from her, his feet making cracks in the street by the strength caused by his flaring anger. He glares at the redheaded girl, who raises her head lightly to look at him through tired yet stern eyes.<p>

"Butch, I'm not as strong as you anymore," she manages to bring out without gasping for air.  
>"Then you have to get stronger!" he says with confidence, "So we have to train! So YOU have to fight!"<br>"Butch…"  
>"Fight me!"<br>"…I can't."

His eye twitches slightly while he balls his fists.  
>After biting his lip, he growls, "No, you can fight me! You just have to try! You're stupid. You're not trying hard enough."<p>

Blossom pulls herself up from the ground, her legs trembling while her only support disappears the moment she lifts her hand up.  
>"Butch, I am trying," she says with a tired voice.<br>"THEN TRY HARDER!", he screams, getting his feet into motion again.

Blossom stares a little horrified when the raging bull once again storms towards her at top speed. She takes a step back for more stability and clenches her fist in confidence.  
>Butch's face is red from anger when he raises his fist high into the air and gets ready to punch.<br>While his arm moves forward with a dazzling force, Blossom pushes her own arm up to her eye-level, anger and adrenaline filling her entire body.

A clashing sound resounds when his fist hits her arm and pushes it closer to her face. Blossom ignores the intense pain and grits her teeth.

For only a split-second they stand still, but then with a strength she missed before, she manages to push him back, while seeing his expression change from anger to surprise. But she's had enough of this.  
>With a loud moan and an immense force, Blossom suddenly throws him back.<br>The boy gets thrown into one of the almost-finished buildings, making it pulverize and land on top of him. Good thing it's all a hologram.

Sinking to her knees, Blossom bows over and places both of her hands flat on the ground. She can't help but squint her eyes while the stinging gasps of air painfully fill her chest.  
>Her ears suddenly pick up on something, the 'chiuuuu'-sound she knows so well, and she lifts her head up, afraid she might see Butch lunging himself at her again. But the pile of rubbish still doesn't move. It makes her worry, when at the same time, something red appears in the sky.<p>

Brick is suddenly hovering above her, his one hand resting on her shoulder.  
>"Hey, are you okay?" he asks, steadying her with his other hand when she starts to swoon a little.<br>She wants to say yes, but finds no voice to answer.

The sound of falling rocks prevents her from looking up and nodding.  
>When they both turn to look at the ruins of the construction, Butch's head pops out of the debris. He pulls himself from under the fragments, dusts his training suit off, shakes his head to get rid of the white powder that's covering him and marches over to the two redheads.<p>

Brick's hands are still supporting Blossom, though she would prefer trying to get up from her sitting position to greet Butch with a smirk.  
>Brick clearly doesn't seem to notice her faint movements. His hands stay firmly where they are, pushing Blossom down, while he watches his nearing brother.<p>

"See? I told ya you'd do it," Butch mutters, hitting the side of his head with which a tiny rock falls out of his ear.  
>Blossom scowls at him and with the greatest effort manages to break Brick's grip. Sitting up straight now, she has all the space she needs to give him a worthy glare.<br>"Next time," she says in a more or less strong voice, "try to keep your temper short. It'd be the best for both of us."

"Butch!" Brick interrupts, "It's only her first training. For god sake, she hasn't learned how to fly properly yet. What the hell were you thinking?"  
>When seeing his brother's glare, Brick rubs the bridge of his nose and mutters, "Can't you be a little responsible for once?"<br>"Well excuse me!" Butch shouts, "Next time, I'll make sure to put pillows around my fists! Let's see how that'll help training her!"  
>With a fuming look, he turns around and blasts into the sky, leaving the other two staring after him.<p>

Brick shakes his head and then shoots a sideways glance at Blossom.  
>When she notices his eyes on her, she stands up, a little shakily though, and crosses her arms in front of her chest.<br>"You okay?" Brick asks after a short time of silence.  
>"You already asked that," she gives a short nod, "I'm fine."<br>"Hey, don't worry about Butch," Brick now turns himself towards her fully, "He's just a little hotheaded some-"  
>"But he's right!"<br>"-times?"

Blossom squints her eyes and turns on her heels to walk away.  
>She hears Brick's footsteps follow her, until they suddenly stop and she can only guess he's now flying behind her to catch up to her.<p>

"What did he say?" he asks rather close behind her now, and she can hear his footsteps again, meaning he's landed.  
>"I'm not trying hard enough," Blossom says, letting out her anger by scolding herself, "I can't effort to act like a wuss! I've got to toughen up and bear it. But I've never felt this weak before."<p>

A hand suddenly prevents her from walking further.  
>"Hey, it's okay," Brick says, turning her around to face him, "Do you think I didn't have trouble? I almost got beaten by Bubbles! I know what you're dealing with, but we'll just train more and become the number ones once more!"<br>She looks up at him, remembering the joke he would always make about them two being the number one fighters because of using their intellect. It would always lighten up her mood.  
>That's why, with a small smug, she mutters, "You mean the number on<strong>e<strong>."  
>He blinks his eyes while she smiles, "<em>I<em>'ll become number one, _you_ can become number two."  
>He lets out a loud laugh and plays along, in a game they always used to play, "Yeah, right, you know I'm <em>way<em> better than you."  
>She lets out a short snort, clutching her stomach, "In your dreams."<br>He grins while she gives him a wink.

"Come on, Bloss," he says, taking her hand, "Cheer up. You'll get stronger alright."  
>"I'm just worrying a bit," she says quietly, biting her lip, "And I'm afraid I won't stop worrying until I can fight again. If Felaket were to attack now, I wouldn't stand a chance."<br>"That's not true."  
>"Brick, I can't even stand up to Butch. How do you expect me to fight Felaket, one of the most dangerous creatures in the universe?"<p>

He takes off his cap and runs a hand through his hair, while shrugging, "Okay, I get your point. I was just trying to comfort you. But please, stop worrying so much. You'll give me a headache as well."  
>He winks while placing his cap on his head again.<br>A smile creeps up her face while she watches him.

_How does he know exactly what to say when I need it most?_

A loud, mechanical voice suddenly resounds, saying, "_Simulation completed_", while the scenery transforms back from a building site into a training room.  
>In it, the six teens are standing all together again.<p>

The professor's smile can be seen through the big window as he nears the microphone, "_Good job, everyone_."

* * *

><p><strong>Haaaa... Okay, more action coming up, just trying to write a chapter for in between this one and chapter seventeen.<strong>  
><strong>Look forward to chapters sixteen and seventeen!<strong>

**I do hope you enjoyed it! ^^  
>Thanks for reading!<strong>


	16. Chapter 16

**Hello there!  
>Okay, I know it's been a while since I last updated the story,<br>I hope you can forgive me.**

**Now, I've had some new ideas and I think they'll work out pretty nice.**  
><strong>Action is on its way, so please look forwards for chapters 17 and 18! ^^<strong>

**This chapter is actually just a little doodle as an introduction to the chapters 17 & 18. (Yes, I work in parts)  
>I'm currently writing a one-shot, I'm gonna finish that and then officialy finish chapter 17.<br>I'm hoping to write until chapter 21 before next week.  
>Okay, I've held you up for long enough. On with tha story!<strong>

**Disclaimer: Alert! I do not, I repeat, I do NOT own the Powerpuff Girls! ;D**

* * *

><p><em>"The sun shines and warms and lights us<br>and we have no curiosity to know why this is so;  
>but we ask the reason of all evil, of pain,<br>and hunger, and mosquitoes and silly people."  
>-Ralph Waldo Emerson<em>

Chapter sixteen:

After the training, everyone retrieves to their rooms, except for Blossom and Brick, who have to undergo a medical checkup.

So that's why we find Buttercup lying on her belly on her bed.  
>The comic she had begun reading lies next to her, opened on a random page, but the story seemed to bore her this time. So instead, she decided to listen to her music.<br>But the lyrics simply didn't seem to reach her.

While staring at the wall in front of her with a bored expression, and her head leaning on her hands, she starts swaying her legs.  
>It looks rather lady-like.<br>When she notices what she's doing, she growls and sits up. She inspects her nails and plucks at the dark green bed sheet.

Her hands soon get tired of it, strum three times on the bed, and then push the body they are attached to up.  
>With an elegant move, Buttercup swings her legs off her bed and heads for the door next.<p>

_I might as well go look what the others are doing_, she thinks to herself while stepping onto the aisle.

Realizing her headphones are still on, she takes them off, immediately witnessing Bubbles' voice reach the highest notes possible in the room two doors away from hers.  
>She turns back around, throws her music player with the headphones onto her bed, closes the door and walks down the aisle towards Bubbles' room. Nearing the room, it's rather hard for your ears to not notice Bubbles' singing voice, following the beat of the loud music perfectly.<br>The melody seems oddly familiar to Buttercup.

She opens the door and a wave of music engulfs her, while she sees her blonde sister on her bed, a microphone in her hand, doing karaoke like only she can. At the top of her lungs she screams out the lyrics:

"Love love love lalalalooooove lalalooooove makes the world go round!"

For someone with a Buttercup-like personality, it's rather hard not to laugh at a pigtailed girl who's jumping up and down on her bed, pretending to give her audience an outstanding solo on her invisible guitar.

"Well, well, it's been a long time since I've heard THAT song," she shouts above the music.  
>Bubbles, in the middle of her solo and so nearing the edge of her bed, lets out a loud shriek and from the surprise, jumps back and off the bed.<br>She rubs her painful head while Buttercup has a hard time trying not to laugh too hard.

Bubbles glares at her laughing sister and stands up, her arms crossed, while the music continues on without her.

"Haha, very funny," she rolls her eyes, "Stop laughing already."  
>"Alright, alright," Buttercup brings out between stifled laughs, "How did you get the song anyway?"<br>Bubbles smiles, "I have my sources," and then she takes another microphone and waves in her sister's direction with it, "Care to join me?"  
>"What? Me? Singing that stupid song again?" she snorts, "No way!"<br>"Oh come on," Bubbles puts up her puppy eyes, "Pretty please?"  
>"That stuff might work on Boomer, but you know it doesn't work on me. So don't even TRY to give me those eyes."<br>"Come on, Buttercup," she rolls her eyes again, dropping the pleading act, "For this one time? Just us two?"

Buttercup puts her weight on her other leg while eying her sister and weighing her options: karaoke with Bubbles or back to her room and inspect her nails for the tenth time…  
>The next moment, she snatches the microphone away from Bubbles, who smiles in response.<p>

"I'll rewind the tape," Bubbles says, walking over to the very old-fashion looking radio, "From the start?"  
>"Wait!" Buttercup says and raises one hand, "Can't we have a practice round first? I don't remember the lyrics all that well."<br>"Alright. Here goes! And one, and two! And one, two, three, four!"

* * *

><p>"Alright, Blossom, you can go. I'll just do one more test on Brick and then he's free to leave as well."<p>

_Finally_, Blossom sighs inwardly to herself, while hopping off the examination table.  
>While Brick's being hit on his knee with a hammer (a rather huge one, especially made for superheroes), Blossom puts her shoes back on and slips through the door. She stretches her arms and takes off in the direction of her room.<br>Though she had helped with the drawing of the construction plans of the base, it still didn't cease to amaze her with its large aisles and numerous rooms.  
>She remembers how she and her sisters used to fly through these exact same aisles.<p>

Having some free time on her hands, she walks up the staircase that leads towards her and her sister's rooms.  
>Since a few days, her eager for knowledge had grown, and she would like nothing more than to read books all day and learn about new fighting techniques.<p>

Yet while she's still expanding her plan by thinking of going to the library, she suddenly hears loud music seep through the walls of the aisle. A beam of light shows that Bubbles is in her room and most likely the noise is coming from in there.  
>When she's close enough, she can make out the words that her sisters are singing, no, screaming in their microphones.<p>

"…_Love, love, love, la-la-loooove…"_

A fresh memory bubbles up from deep inside her mind. She remembers a clown they once fought and a concert they gave.  
>A sudden excitement makes her heart flutter and she skips over to her blonde sister's room.<p>

With a short creek, the door opens and Blossom peers inside.  
>Her eyes instantly widen and stifled giggles escape her mouth when she sees Bubbles dancing on the little sofa that's standing inside her bedroom and Buttercup head banging on the music.<br>Then they go for the last refrain, both raising one arm in the air and the microphone to their mouths with the other, "_Love, love, love, la-la-loooove makes the world go rooouuuunddddd!"_

The music ends and they both make a deep bow for their invisible, or not so invisible since Blossom's watching, audience. They only know of her presence when she opens the door fully and comes in, clapping her hands.

"Wonderful," she laughs, while her sisters both turn scarlet.  
>"Blossom?" Bubbles squeaks, "How long have you been standing there?"<br>"Long enough," she grins, but then her face softens into a kind smile, "That was good. You two are great singers."  
>"Oh, but you are too, Blossom!" Bubbles reacts quickly, bouncing over to her red-haired sister and she takes a hold of her hand, surprising Blossom by her energetic outburst, "We all are wonderful singers! Don't you remember how we sang together when we were little?"<p>

"Yeah, right," Buttercup snorts, "I don't know what you're babbling about, Bubbles, but Blossom and I can never stand up to your and Boomer's voices."  
>"That's not true," Bubbles pouts, lowering her and Blossom's hand.<br>The redhead places a hand on her blonde sister's arm and says in a somewhat uneasy voice, "It's true, Bubbles. You two are the singers, not Buttercup and I."  
>Bubbles' pout turns larger and she crosses her arms, "Even if so, you can't say when you haven't tried it yet. Yes, Boomer and I are great singers, and I like singing very much, but it's much more fun to sing together."<p>

With her regained smile, she holds up the microphone for Blossom. She, in return, takes it with a growing smile and twinkling eyes.  
>Bubbles giggles and bounces back to where Buttercup's standing, next to the boxes of the music installation. Blossom joins them, for once in her life bouncing as well out of excitement, and Buttercup turns the music on with a grin.<p>

"We're gonna need some extra volume," she smirks, giving the volume knob a firm twist.

The music immediately blasts through the speakers, making both Bubbles and Blossom cover their eyes and glare at Buttercup.

"WHAT?" she screams above the music, but eventually turns the music down a bit with a loud snigger.

Suddenly, the bedroom door slams open.  
>In the doorway, his hand still holding the knob, Butch stands glaring.<br>"What the hell is that noise? What the heck are ya doin'?"

From behind him, Boomer and Brick appear, that first one covering his ears with his hands. Bubbles quickly flies through the room, in search for the remote, and once she finds it pauses the music.  
>The sudden silence seems like a relief to Boomer and he lowers his hands gratefully.<br>"What's going on in here?" Brick asks, stepping inside.  
>"We're doing karaoke," Bubbles replies with a squeal.<br>"And you guys are just on time," Buttercup smirks, walking up to them holding two microphones.  
>"Oooooh! I'll go get my guitar!" Boomer says, and then flies off to find the named instrument.<p>

Brick stares at Buttercup's outstretched hand, and most of all at the microphone and his face turns into a repellent frown.  
>"No thanks," he says, turning around and ready to leave, but he's being hold back by Blossom's tight grip. He turns around again, but regrets it when seeing Blossom's pleading eyes.<p>

"Please, Brick? For me?" she smiles as sweetly as she can.  
>Brick's eye twitches, before he releases a sigh and mutters, not without a little blush, "Okay, I'll do it."<br>Bubbles squeals, winking at Blossom, who grins back.  
>"Hahaha!" Butch laughs at his brother, "Can't believe you fell for that! Brick's a big softy!"<p>

The words haven't left his mouth yet, or a forceful hand grabs him out of nowhere, topples him over and pins him on the bed.  
>"Don't be so full of yourself," Buttercup says, leaning over him, with a huge smirk, "You're staying too."<br>Butch stares perplexed while she lets go of him and walks back towards the stereo.  
>"Who's the softy now, huh?" Brick mutters.<br>"Shut up!" is Butch's reply.

"I'm back!" Boomer shouts, slamming the door open for a second time while making the room tremble a bit.  
>In his hand, he holds his Gibson guitar, his most precious property and the only thing he would lend to nobody, not even to Bubbles, not even when she's ask him with the biggest puppy eyes she's got.<p>

"Good," Bubbles smiles, getting in what you could describe as a singing pose.  
>Boomer walks up to her and sits down on the bed beside her, putting the one end of his precious darling guitar delicately on his knee, and his other hand putting itself around the neck and gliding across the strings. With his right thumb, he strums a series of strings and the clear sound of the guitar fills the room.<p>

"Ready," he smiles up to Bubbles.  
>She nods and puts on the music, and Boomer immediately starts jamming down on the strings, banging his head more than he should be.<p>

Bubbles puts the microphone to her mouth and starts, "_Open your eyes and take in everything that you see! Look at all the colors: red, yellow, blue and green! We can take airplanes and fly from the world! Look down upon the colors! Everyone, let's go!"  
>"Because <em>_**love, love, love, la-la-looooove, la-la-looooove, makes the world go round!**__", _they all sing together, at the top of their lungs.  
>At first, Brick and Butch find it a little embarrassing, but eventually, they too sing lustily along with the screaming lyrics of the Powerpuff classic.<p>

Downstairs, at his desk, John Utonium finds it hard to do research when the whole building is shaking up and down on the beat of the music.  
>While test tubes and flasks tumble to the ground, he tries to stay on his seat and let a single drop fall into the liquid before him. Not an easy task.<p>

Sandra appears in the doorway and she smiles at her husband.  
>When he sees her, he takes off his safety glasses, and sighs while rubbing the bridge of his nose. Which looks funny considering he's still making bounces on a rhythmic base.<p>

Sandra laughs at his innerved face.  
>He smiles in reply and adds, "I'd like it much more if they gave their everything in the training sessions rather than in a singing career."<br>"Oh, let them have their fun," Sandra smiles, "They're just teenagers after all. We'll continue training tomorrow."  
>He walks over to her, or tries to, and they share a sweet hug.<p>

Meanwhile, the singing and jamming further up in the house continues on, not missing one single beat.

* * *

><p>"Come on! Keep it up, you lazybones!" Buttercup shouts behind her.<p>

The wind races past her and seeps into her hair and clothes, but she could care less if her hair got messed up.  
>Avoiding the trees, she speeds up and takes it further into the large forest.<p>

"Yeah, ya sissies!" Butch shouts from beside her at the ones following them, "Take up tha pace, will ya? Even a snail could catch up to you!"  
>Buttercup sniggers at his remark and he grins at her.<p>

"Now don't go mushy on us, greens!" Brick's voice makes them glance back.  
>His eyes are blazing a bright red and his smirk is plastered on his face while he keeps up the supersonic speed.<br>"Oh my, seems like someone finally caught up," Butch grins, "Well then, I'll see you at the finish, bro!"

With that, Butch's legs move even faster, going into hyperdrive.  
>Brick follows his lead and is now running next to Buttercup.<p>

"Hey! Did you see Blossom?" she shouts to her side.  
>He glances at her and then behind him, not finding any trace of the redhead.<br>When he looks back at Buttercup, he notices her grin, "Oh well, her loss. She'll catch up to us…eventually!"  
>Then she too speeds off, leaving Brick behind.<p>

But the redhead's not giving up that easily.  
>He pulls up even more, sparks now flying behind him. His fists tighten, leaving his knuckles white, when he pushes himself further and further.<p>

When he finally passes Buttercup, he can't resist a smirk, "See ya!"  
>"Hey! Come back, ya worm!" he hears her shout after him.<br>He utters a chuckle and continues his pursuit of Butch.

After two killing minutes, he's come close enough to pass him. With the greatest effort, he races past his brother, making him growl in frustration.  
>What follows then is a neck and neck competition between the two bros towards the finish line.<p>

Suddenly, their ears pick up on something, and before they can react, Blossom catches up to them at a breakneck pace.  
>With stunned expressions, the boys see her reach the finish line, planting her feet deep into the forest ground, trying to slow down. The result is a big lap of grass that's being pushed into a big pile by the immense force of the impact.<br>Blossom, to her waist sunken in the ground, pulls herself out of the hole and dusts herself off.

When the others finally slow down and stand beside her, she grins, "I win!"

The other three stay silent for a moment and then Butch bursts out laughing.  
>"Nice goin', Pinky," he says ruffling her hair with his hand, "Didn't know you had it in ya."<br>"I've improved a lot, haven't I?" Blossom smiles triumphantly.  
>"Now don't get too full of yourself," Buttercup pops her happy balloon, "But at least now you'll stand a chance if you're being chased by Felaket's henchmen."<br>Blossom gives her sister a thankful smile.

Suddenly, Butch's stomach grumbles and the boy in question clutches his stomach.  
>He gives his housemates a weak smile and says, "Time for dinner! Let's get back, I'm starving!"<p>

With that, they all fly back towards the base, unaware of the pair of piercing orange eyes that lurk in the shadows of the wood. They follow the teens as they disappear in the distance and for a moment it stays quiet, before a hushed rustle sounds from the bushes when the figure runs after them.

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><p><strong>I hope you liked it and thanks so much for reading! ^^<strong>


	17. Chapter 17

**Welcome back, dear readers!**

**First of all, my excuses for the long delay.  
>I'm currently drowning in school work, so there won't be much updates for about two more weeks.<strong>

* * *

><p><em>"Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process<br>he does not become a monster"  
>-Friedrich Nietzsche-<em>

Chapter seventeen:

"Well, that was one heck of a feast," Butch exclaims happily when he shoves his empty plate away from him, "Thanks for the exquisite cooking, Sandy."  
>He winks at the elder woman and she raises her gloved hand at him in response. Then she turns back around to continue doing the dishes.<br>John quirks an eyebrow at the bland way of treating his wife, but his shoulders slump when Butch doesn't seem to notice the least of his lecturing look.

Meanwhile, Blossom and Brick dash around the room, carrying off and on the empty dishes, glasses, the dirty cutlery and pots. Sandra shoots them a thankful smile when they have taken all of the mess left from dinner to the sink.  
>The two redheads sit down at the table again, while the blues are talking casually and the greens are balancing spoons on their noses.<p>

Brick snatches the spoons away and aims for the sink from a good ten meters away. A few drops of water appear when the two pieces of metal sink into the hot water.  
>Butch crosses his arms angrily, like a big child, hating the fact that his toy just got snatched away from him.<p>

"So then," the professor decides to start small talk, "How has training been going?"  
>"Great!" Bubbles shouts, jumping up and placing her two hands on the table before anyone can even blink, "Brick and Blossom have been picking up pretty fast on my flying lessons."<br>Boomer nods, "Yeah, and their speed is getting better too."  
>"But they still have problems with their fighting," Buttercup concludes, crossing her arms.<p>

Blossom stays silent at the whole situation. She keeps thinking back at the night before she passed away.  
>She remembers the professor was there, but the old man doesn't seem to want her to know what he has been doing all these years, while she and her sisters were gone. She guessed he must've been pretty upset, but when she asked him as subtle as she could, he smiled and shrugged, "You know, been here and there, done this and that."<br>The conversation would then always end in either him turning away or she nodding and walking off, her head pounding.

She lets out a small sigh and concentrates back on the conversation that's being held around her.  
>Her fellow teammates were now at the point where Buttercup and Butch were standing upright, screaming in each other's face, where Bubbles and Boomer tried to calm them down but only received a "Shut up!" and where Brick was watching rather amused.<br>From the corner of her eye, Blossom sees the professor raise his hand. She hastily puts her hands over her ears, just in time because nearly half a second later, John's flat hand lands on the table, making everyone jolt in surprise.

"Well now," he smiles as if nothing has happened, "why don't you all go to the recreation room? Sandra and I will finish the dishes and then we'll join you."  
>They all seem to find it a good suggestion and walk out of the room, leaving the scientist and his wife alone.<p>

John stares after them, until he's sure they're completely gone and then turns to face his wife.  
>Sandra, suspecting her husband's strange behavior to be quite serious, turns around and while drying her hands with her apron, asks, "Dear, tell me, did something happen? Is there something wrong?"<br>"You can certainly say that," John mutters, still fearing for the teens to hear them, "Our radar picked up on some movement in the area. Maybe it's nothing, and it was rather small, but still… The townspeople don't come this high in the mountains and Headquarters didn't send any kind of allies. Yet I know that something's out there."

Sandra stares at him, her eyes wide with concern.  
>"What should we do?" she asks quietly.<br>John gives her a small smile and takes her hands in his, "Let's start packing a bit earlier. Instead of next week, let's try and make it to headquarters in two days. Just in case."

He sees his wife nod, but there's still anxiety in her eyes. He takes her in his arms, putting his chin on her soft, raven locks.

"Whatever happens," he says, "We have to get them to headquarters. Blossom and Brick aren't ready to fight the army yet, and the others need their leaders. It's the best thing we can do for now."  
>"You know I believe in you," Sandra replies from within his embrace, looking up at him with her bright blue eyes, "You'll get us into safety. But isn't there anywhere else we can go?"<br>John shakes his head sadly, "They're everywhere: Asia, Europe, Africa. We even located some ships before the coasts of Antarctica. They're cornering us. We only have headquarters left."  
>"Then that's where we'll go," she says as a way of ending the conversation.<p>

They embrace each other for just a moment longer and then head out the door, towards the recreation room, unaware of the pair of gleaming eyes that stare after them from behind the boarder of trees of the nearby lying forest.

* * *

><p>Thick beams of light penetrate through the blinds while the alarm clock next to the bed makes a small beeping sound. <em>8.00 am<em>, it says in red numbers.  
>A hand appears from under the dark blue covers and pushes on a button, silencing the alarm. Another arm appears and they raise themselves into the air, followed by a still tired body.<p>

Boomer stretches his arms and back while letting out a loud yawn. He scratches his head and rubs the sleep out of his sapphire blue eyes.  
>He stares around his room and lets out a sigh.<p>

Most of his belongings have already been put in big boxes, placed in big piles against the walls of his room.  
>All his posters have disappeared, and all his clothes except for one outfit have been folded up neatly and put in a suitcase.<br>The only things left standing were his cleaned-up desk with his laptop, his Gibson on its standard and his almost-empty wardrobe. Together with the sheets and pillow of his bed and his alarm clock, these were the only things he had left to pack.

The night before, the professor and Miss Keane had announced that they would be leaving for headquarters in two days. So that meant they had little time to pack and prepare everything, like food supplies. Plus there was the fact that the enemy was nearing, and he was nearing fast, that didn't really help lessen the tensed mood.  
>So, after they spent an hour of rather stressed relaxing, they all went upstairs to start packing and saying sincere goodbyes to their dear home.<p>

Boomer can't help but feel sad about leaving the base. It has been his home for almost two years now, and leaving it just felt bad. It felt like he was about to step out of a protective shield after what felt like an eternity.

With yet another sigh, he heaves himself out of his bed and shuffles over to his Gibson.  
>Running a finger across the metal strings of the precious instrument, he smiles lightly and then slowly takes it off its standard.<p>

He pulls the guitar's box from under his bed and places it cautiously in its leather casing. The standard is being stuffed in the suitcase.  
>He clicks the small closures shut, sealing the precious interior off, and places the box next to the other luggage.<p>

After having overlooked his room one last time, Boomer heads outside and soon disappears into the damping depths of the shared bathroom.

* * *

><p>In the room next to his, Brick hears his blonde-haired brother leave for the shower.<br>He runs a hand through his hair, a common gesture he always does when he's stressed. Everything just seemed to speed up: events were following one after another and now their lives were threatened once more by an alien king from outer space. Who wouldn't be stressed?

Brick glances around his room and takes a book from the box he had put all his literature works in and throws himself on his bed to read.

A half an hour passes and then his watch gives three short beeps, informing him that it was time for practice.  
>With a loud sigh, Brick puts his book back in its place and flies out of his room towards the living room, where they would meet up before going outside in the woods.<p>

Once the boy has exited his room and closed the door, a sudden movement can be seen in the bushes outside his window. A branch snaps and out of nowhere a sharp claw hits the glass.  
>It slowly moves down to leave a mark on the window, while two eyes look inside and an invisible smirk forms itself.<p>

The dark shadow casted on the floor stays there for another minute, and then the creature disappears again, leaving only the claw mark on the window.

* * *

><p>"Okay then," the professor's loud voice puts an end to the noisy chattering that has been filling the hallway, "Blossom, Brick, Boomer and Buttercup will be going outside for fighting training. Meanwhile, I will go check some information for our journey while Butch and Bubbles will help Sandra with cleaning up the lab and taking the luggage into the newly repaired jet."<p>

A little hint of proud settles in John's eyes as he speaks of the fruit of all his hard work.  
>Truth to be told, his new flying tool was a real masterpiece of technology, and it was slightly bigger than the first one.<p>

Butch growls loudly when he hears he has cleaning duty instead of getting a chance to fight, but complies nonetheless. Bubbles skips off, following him on his way through the now rather empty halls, and they both disappear together with John and Sandra.

"What are we waiting for?" Buttercup says with a confident look, "Let's get going! Onward! One-two, one-two, one-two!"  
>The other three exchange a look and then follow Buttercup's lead towards the outside world.<p>

"Today's training is all about surprise attacks," Boomer declares once they're standing outside the building.  
>Buttercup nods, folding her arms, "Yeah, so the idea is to all split up and try to take the others down by using a surprise attack. Any questions?"<br>Shaking of heads makes clear there are none.  
>"Good," the raven-haired girl nods contently, "Well then, let's get started."<p>

* * *

><p>The big door that gives access to the lab slides open and Professor Utonium makes his way inside. With large steps, he walks over to the big screens against the wall, where he has a radar system as well.<br>The little bleeping dot and the circling line typify the radio-like machine placed on one of his desks.

The moment he reaches the large table, the door slides open again.  
>John turns around to see Miss Keane and Butch entering, the first one looking <em>slightly<em> happier than the second, but no surprises there.

The professor smiles, when his wife asks, "Where do you want us to begin cleaning?"  
>"The biggest part's already done," he replies, "Only the furniture and some inventions and then everything's ready to go. While you start on that, I'll just scan the area one last time, just to be sure."<p>

He turns around to do as he said and his fingers hastily move across the keyboard, tapping various keys in the process. Numbers and words appear on the screens and the radar starts bleeping.  
>John stares at the small, green screen and especially the circling line. When he sees nothing special, he pulls himself up again, ready to shut down all systems, but then something unusual happens.<p>

_Bleep._

John freezes and his eyes dart towards the radar once more.

_Bleep…Bleep…_

His hands land on the wooden surface of the desk, his eyes widened and his expression horrified.  
>It's enough to make the other two persons in the room stop about arguing whether it was fair or not that Bubbles could clean up her room first and then help. Instead, they shut up and turns their gazes towards the features of the elder man, whose shadow hides his face from them.<br>With every bleep, John becomes more worried. It's a dot, and it's moving, but it's moving with odd intervals.  
><em><br>Maybe it's just a deer_, he thinks, but then the dot suddenly comes to a halt.  
>And then it moves forward, in the direct direction of the base, with an incredible speed.<p>

_Bleep-Bleep… Bleep-Bleep… Bleep-Bleep..Bleep-Bleep-Bleep...Bleep-Bl-Blee-Ble-Bleep _

Another one.  
>And another.<br>The whole screen's filling with green bleeping dots.

"John, what's wrong?" Sandra asks from behind him.

John finally snaps out of his surprised state by tearing himself away from the desk and starts sprinting towards the door, his face twisted with fear and anger.

"John! What's going on?" Sandra screams, somehow frightened by her husband's extreme reaction.  
>"They're here!" he says in response, "How can I have not seen them? There're so many of them!"<p>

Butch and Sandra's eyes grow wider with every word he says and they glance shortly at each other. John grabs his cell phone and hurriedly dials a number.  
>"We have to warn everyone," he says hastily.<br>A third voice makes him freeze, "I think they already know."

John looks up confused and follows Butch's gaze towards the radar.  
>Four specks of light, slightly different from the others, are closed in by the green dots, caught between their enemies and the trees of the forest. John lets out a frightened gasp and then makes a run for it, followed closely by Sandra and Butch, that last one holding a box filled with some experiments of the professor.<p>

"We have to hurry and find them, before it is too late!" the professor shouts.  
>But he's being interrupted by the loud noise of an impact. The whole building trembles and a few fragment of paint twirl down from the ceiling.<br>John and Sandra seek for support against the wall, while Butch stays upright, clenching his fist around the box while gritting his teeth.

"It's too late," John utters silently, "They've already begun their attack."

* * *

><p>Silence.<br>Complete and utter silence is what fills the forest. Not a leaf moves, not an animal dares to show itself, except for those who cannot really be described as animal.

Blossom can't shake off the strange feeling that's filling the pit of her stomach. Something just makes her feel very uneasy.  
>She doesn't remember the forest being so quiet before, and it is actually extremely innerving. Her unease grows with each step she takes.<p>

She strolls around for some more minutes and soon finds herself a suitable lookout in the top of a tree. She walks up to the huge and ancient looking oak, but just when she wants to climb up the first branch, a bush behind her moves.

Her movement stocks and she freezes, afraid to see what was out there if she'd turn around. A branch snaps and with a sudden impulse, she spins around, facing the bushes. The last leaves rustle, but other than she expects, no one jumps out from the bush.  
>Deciding that she should go check if there really was no one, or she might walk right into a surprise attack, she makes her way over to it.<p>

Making sure even her breathing won't give her away, she kneels before the plant. She waits for just another second and then jumps up, grasping behind it in search for a body.  
>She expects to hear a yelp and find Boomer's laughing face, Brick's playful scowl or even Buttercup's fierce glare, but no one is hiding behind the bush.<p>

Confused, she looks around.  
>She only hears the wind howling through the trees, which puts an end to the complete silence of the place.<p>

Blossom puts a hand to her head, thinking, _Was it only my imagination?_

A tat relieved, she turns around again.  
>The wind blows her long hair in her face, blocking her view. With a small smile, she puts it behind her ear.<br>Once the orange has disappeared from her sight, her eyes grow wide in fear as she sees the dark features of a growling figure in front of her.

The figure's standing in the middle of a forest, surrounded by trees and with its blazing red eyes fixated on her.

Blossom gasps and takes a step back. The thing makes a high-pitched hissing sound.

It's not really a pretty sight either.  
>He, or…it, looked like a shadow, his darkness seeming to affect the nature around him. Where his eyes should be, there were only two bright dots of light. His mouth, well he didn't seem to have one, was dripping with a black slime, and every drop left an intimidating burnt mark on the grass.<br>But the most horrifying was the big hole in the creature's stomach region. It looked a little swollen and Blossom averted her disgusted gaze at the sight of the organs, visible and reflecting the light of the afternoon sun.

Trying to forget about the thing's appearance, Blossom faces it again with a determined look. She gets into a fighting pose, just like Buttercup had taught her, and is ready to put her training into real action.

The figure suddenly seems to laugh, like a madman, and he bends over.  
>Like a dog sent from Hell, he sprints towards her.<p>

Blossom lets out a yelp when he throws himself at her, hissing loudly and showing her his long, sharp claws.  
>To defend herself, Blossom crosses her hands before her and throws the creature away. But it stands up again almost immediately and dashes forward again.<br>In response, she throws a bone-breaking punch forward, hitting its face.

The thing lies on the ground for a while, howling in pain, but then something happened she didn't foresee.  
>As soon as it came, the howling stopped and the figure looked up to her with emotionless orange-red eyes. The teenage girl takes a step back, a little frightened by the murderous look.<p>

_This is wrong_, she thinks while watching horrified as the creature stands up again, _I don't remember them being this strong.  
>Normally, we could take his men down with a blow like that, but this one seems just fine.<em>

More time to think about it is not being granted her, as the thing approaches her at high speed again.

* * *

><p><strong>I hope you like it!<br>Finally some action again :3**

**Please review ^^**


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